Things I never knew I needed
by Dr.GleekForever
Summary: Quinn left without a trace. She also left Beth with Rachel Berry of all people. Follow along as Rachel and her best friend, Blake July, tackle their senior year and navigate the crazy town that is Lima, Ohio. Senior year will forever change the lives of all involved. This story is G!P Rachel and G!P Blake(OC).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the scare and just deleting the chapters. I tried posting an author's note from my phone explaining why I had deleted all the chapters. For some reason it wouldn't let me post. The reason I've deleted all of the chapters to this story is because I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing again. I was reading over this story and started to edit it when I decided that I could improve on it a lot more. If this is your second time reading this story then a lot of the plot is the same but there will be a lot of changes made mostly just me adding to the story. If this is your first time reading then I hope you enjoy this story. I've also decided to get rid of all the old author note's so if you have any new questions please ask and I'll answer them.**

**This story is AU based in the TV show universe and characters will be OOC. The story starts during the summer between junior and senior year. Shelby never sent Jesse to McKinley so therefore Rachel hasn't met her yet. Quinn got pregnant with Beth during junior year instead of sophomore and kept her instead of giving her up for adoption. Finchel happened but they are not together and will not be at all in this fiction. New Directions still lost at National's due to Finn kissing Rachel. Everything else should be the same. This is will be AU but will have some plots from the show. Once again so I don't have to repeat myself this story will have parts from the show but will not follow the show 100%. This is a Brittberry story because there aren't enough out there with a Santana/OC. Yes this story is going to humor and romance but what good is it without a little angst and drama. **

**The story is G!P. I repeat there will be G!P present in this story. Two counts of it actually. So if you don't want to read that then stop now. **

**This story is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. I wish though because then it'd just be one giant rainbow parade. I do however own Blake and any other O.C. characters created. **

**Chapter 1**

Rachel Berry is currently lounging on the couch in her living room watching TV. She is waiting for her best friend, Blake July, to return from picking up their order from Breadsticks. Rachel and Blake have been best friends forever. The two girls even managed to stay in touch after Rachel moved to Lima, Ohio from New York City right before the start of freshmen year. They kept in touch through phone calls, text messages, Skype, and other forms of social media during the school but would visit one another during the summer, with Rachel usually going up to New York.

However this summer they had decided that Blake would come down to spend the summer with Rachel in Lima. Their parents didn't really care seeing as they were too busy to even worry about their daughters. Blake's mom was busy teaching classes at NYADA and performing on Broadway while Rachel's dads were in Prague or Beijing or somewhere out of the country renovating some building. The parents would call to check in and send money to the girls every so often. It was hard on both of them sometimes, but they have always had each other to lean on through the hard times.

Besides her dads', Blake was the only person Rachel could truly be herself around. At school she had to pretend to be someone she's not. She had to hide who she really was and play a role. No one had really bothered to get to know the real Rachel. Yeah Rachel could have been herself but why bother when no one cared to try and get know you. Why show people who you really are when they don't care nor deserve to see it?

Rachel was intensely watching TV when the doorbell suddenly sounded throughout the house. Rachel jumped in fright before standing up and heading to the front door. Her first thought was why would Blake ring the doorbell and not use her key to get in. Rachel had given her a key for this very reason.

As Rachel opened the door ready to chastise her best friend she was shocked to see Quinn Fabray, former HBIC of McKinley and one of Rachel's biggest tormentors, standing on the other side. Sitting in a car seat on the ground next to Quinn was a sleeping baby Beth. Rachel noticed that Quinn didn't look like her usual put together self. Quinn was dressed in a black hoodie with dark blue jeans and black shoes. She also looked really anxious, was fidgeting around a lot, and constantly looking over her shoulder like she was afraid someone was following her. She hadn't even noticed that Rachel had opened the door. Rachel cleared her throat and Quinn slightly jumped and quickly turned back around to face Rachel.

"Hey... Rachel..." Quinn greeted once she was fully facing Rachel. Quinn was kind of shocked to see Rachel dressed so casually. The brunette singer was wearing a black shirt with words Tapout written in white, a pair of black basketball shorts that hung to her knees, long black Nick socks, and black Jordan slippers. This is the only time besides Glee performances that Rachel was in something that one of those ugly sweaters, short skirts, white socks, and Mary Janes.

"Umm... hey Quinn, what are you doing here?" Rachel replied before adding

"Well I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment." said Quinn. Rachel could only stand and stare at Quinn. Never in a million years did Rachel think that Quinn Fabray would be at her front door asking to talk to her. I mean sure they had formed a very tentative friendship after Quinn became pregnant but they were never the come over to one another's house type. They were the friendly smiles and words in passing but never hang out type of friends.

"Sorry uh... yeah...we can umm... talk... Do you umm... wanna come in?" Rachel asked after a few moments. Quinn simply nodded her head in response before bending down, picking up the car seat, and looking over her shoulder once again before entering the house.

Rachel couldn't help but look around as well before following Quinn inside, closing the door behind them, before leading Quinn into the living room where she was previously sitting. Rachel grabbed the remote and quickly turned down the MMA fight she had been watching. She looked at Quinn sheepishly because she knew that the Rachel Berry she portrayed at school hated violence and constantly spoke out against it.

Quinn however didn't make a comment on the show. She wasn't saying much of anything. She was busy looking around and checking out Rachel's home. She had only been to Rachel's house once before and that was for the train wreck party. They all stayed in the basement that night and she never really got to look around the Berry residence. Quinn noticed some of the pictures on the wall. Most of the pictures were of Rachel and another girl that she had never seen before. There were other pictures of Rachel and who she was assuming her dads but also pictures of Rachel and a blonde woman she had never seen before.

"So uh... Quinn, what can I do for you?" Rachel asked finally breaking the silence that had settled over them.

"I'm sorry... I'm being a terrible host. Would you like anything to drink?" Rachel added a few moments later. Quinn jumped at the sudden sound of Rachel's voice. She had been lost in thought trying to figure out who the girl and older woman in all of Rachel's photos were. Rachel always talked about how amazing her dads' were but never mentioned anyone besides them. It seemed as though Rachel purposefully hid that part of her life. Yet the girl was in pictures from when they were kids to now.

Rachel was a little nervous at having Quinn in her home. Besides in passing, she hadn't really spoken to Quinn since the blonde girl gave birth to Beth three months ago. She felt bad because, glee club was supposed to be a team, a family, and they all should have been there for Quinn more and they haven't been. She couldn't do anything about the past but she could be here to help Quinn now if she asked.

"No thank you and I sorta dropped by unannounced so it's o.k." Quinn replied before turning to face Rachel with a small smile on her face. Rachel could instantly tell it was a fake smile and she couldn't help but feel like something was up with Quinn. The blonde looked extremely tired and well defeated.

"I'm sorry to just show up like this Rachel, but I really need someone to watch Beth for a few hours. And you were the only person I could think of that would be responsible enough to do it. If you can't do it then that's o.k. I'll just..." Quinn started to ramble out.

Rachel's hand came up in front of her to stop Quinn from her nervous rambling. Rachel couldn't understand why she was so nervous about asking her to babysit. To Rachel, she was the most reasonable choice, besides Mike and Tina, out of their teammates, so it made sense as to why Quinn asked her.

"Umm... o.k...Yeah Quinn uh... do you have a schedule for her or something for when to feed her and all that stuff?" Rachel replied simply. She could watch a sleeping baby for a few hours no problem, plus Blake would be there. Two brains are better the one and they'd figure it all out. It's not they didn't have Google.

"Wait... really you'll watch her? Thank you so much Rachel, you have no idea how helpful this is. Thank you, I owe you, thank you. She needs to be feed at 7, I've written the portion size on the lid in sharpie, and don't forget to burp her when she finishes. She should sleep the full two hours until then. Thank you once again Rachel, this means so much." Quinn riddled out. Rachel nodded as she listened to Quinn give her instructions.

"Really Quinn, it's no problem and only for a few hours right so no big deal. " Rachel replied with a smile on her face getting another fake one in return. Quinn's phone beeped and she took it out of her pocket before reading the text and immediately standing up. She ran her hand nervously through her hair before turning to face Rachel who had stood up as well.

"O.k. her diaper bag has everything she needs in it and thank you once again." said Quinn before she leaned down and gave Beth a long kiss on the forehead and whispered something to her that Rachel couldn't hear. Both girls walked to the front door and outside together, Rachel stopping on the steps and Quinn stopping on the path way before turning and facing Rachel one more time.

"So once again thank you for this and I'm sorry for the short notice." Quinn stated as she stuck her hands into her pockets before turning and checking over her shoulder.

"Really it's no problem and it's not like your leaving forever it's only a few hours." Rachel replied with a small laugh. Quinn didn't reply simply nodded before turning and briskly walking down the path way and the driveway before disappearing around the corner.

Rachel had a feeling something was up but didn't think it was her place to ask. She shrugged her shoulders before turning and walking back inside. She quietly made her way back to the living room where Beth sleeping soundly in her car seat. Rachel couldn't help but stare at the little girl. This would be the first time since Beth was born that she had seen the little blonde haired baby in person. She had seen a few pictures of the little girl that Quinn had shown to everyone in Glee during meetings but that had been it.

"Damn she looks a lot like Quinn." Rachel muttered to herself as she looked down at the little girl who looked like a mini version of Quinn minus her nose. The little girl had Puck's nose. Rachel shook her head before going back to watching T.V. and making sure it wasn't too loud. She didn't want Beth waking up before she was supposed to. 20 minutes later Rachel heard the front door open and close.

"LUCY I'M HOME!" was shouted from the front of the house. Rachel rolled her eyes as she quickly jumped off the couch and walked towards the hallway to shush her best friend before she woke up Beth.

"Yo shut the fuck up there's a sleeping baby in there." Rachel shout whispered pointing at the archway leading to the living room. Blake rolled her eyes and walked over to Rachel before looking past the shorter girl and into the living room where there was indeed a sleeping baby.

"What the fuck dude? I'm gone maybe 40 minutes and you replace me with a baby." Blake whispered at Rachel. Rachel rolled her eyes at her best friend and pushed her toward the kitchen. Blake quietly laughed in response but walked into the kitchen with Rachel following behind her.

Blake Idina July had light creamed coffee color skin and stood at 5'9. She is perfect mix of African American, Jewish, and German decent. She had big piercing green eyes, a nose that she felt was too big at times but it honestly fit her face, a set of full lips that looked soft, and an amazing jaw line. Blake is muscular and had the body of a fighter and basketball player due to her years of training in martial arts and basketball. Blake's black hair was cut in a fauxhawk with the top full of curls and the tips of those curls dyed red.

"Really that's the first thing you ask, fucking smartass. Do you remember that cheerleader I told you got knocked up by the school manwhore?" Rachel asked as she followed Blake into the kitchen. Blake nodded in response as she began separating their orders. She didn't want to eat any of Rachel's vegan food. Blake didn't mind eating vegan food every now and then, but she loved meat and cheese way too much to fully commit like Rachel had.

"Well she needed a babysitter for a few hours." Rachel explained as she sat down on a stool and grabbed her food. Blake walked over to the fridge and grabbed two Gatorades before walking back over to the bar, sitting down, and sliding Rachel one of the drinks. Rachel caught the drink and mumbled a quick thank you before taking a bite of food.

"So we're a babysitting service now?" Blake asked playfully after she had taken a bite of her own food as well.

"Nope, I'm just helping out a fellow teammate. You didn't see her man. She looked like she really needed the break. Besides she was probably at work or something and couldn't take Beth with her. It was something last minute, so I figured why not." Rachel replied simply receiving a nod in return. The girls had finished their food, talking about the fight Blake had missed in between bites, before heading back to the living room.

"Let's watch a movie." Rachel stated before switching the TV to Netflix and picking a movie to watch. She and Blake were both huge fans of super hero movies. They were in the middle of watching The Avengers when Beth started to stir. Rachel looked at the clock and realized that it was already a little past 7. The blonde baby started crying and squirming in her car seat.

"It's time for her to eat. Can you grab her while I fix a bottle?" Rachel asked as she stood up and headed to the kitchen to fix Beth a bottle. Rachel noticed as she lifted the diaper bag that it was heavier then she thought but didn't think anything of it. Rachel was surprised to see Blake rocking and cooing at her when she returned a few minutes later with a fixed bottle in hand.

"Who would have thought the spawn of Satan is good with kids. Do you want to feed her?" Rachel commented before handing Blake the bottle. Blake just shrugged and rolled her eyes in response before taking the bottle from Rachel and giving it to Beth. Both girls sat next to one another and just watched as Beth drank her bottle.

"She's got beautiful hazel eyes." Blake commented while looking down at Beth who was looking up at them. The little girl was switching between watching Blake and Rachel. She didn't know why but she felt calm with the two big people even though she'd never seen them before.

"Just like her mom." Rachel commented back. Rachel couldn't deny that Beth had Quinn's beautiful eyes that seemed to have such curiosity and wonder in them. Rachel also couldn't help but wonder why the little girl seemed so calm with two complete strangers. It didn't take long for Beth to finish her bottle.

"You have to burp her." Rachel stated getting an eye roll from Blake in response.

"No shit Sherlock." Blake responded getting a slap on the arm from Rachel.

"Language, there's a baby present." Rachel stated. Blake shrugged as she lifted Beth and placed her on her chest to burp her. She had seen plenty of people due this and didn't think anything could go wrong. As Blake was patting Beth's back she felt something warm on her chest. She looked down and noticed that the baby had spit up on her.

"Ugh that's just fucking great." Blake muttered as she lifted the little girl off of chest. Rachel quickly put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She couldn't help but think that it was funny that Beth had spit up on Blake.

"Dude, seriously watch the language, there's a baby present." Rachel chastised as she took Beth away from Blake so the taller girl could go upstairs and change.

Rachel walked into the kitchen and grabbed another onesie for Beth to put on seeing as the one she had on was ruined. She laid the baby down and changed her out of the dirty onesie and into the clean one. Once Beth was dressed again Rachel picked her up and started walking around as she bounced and cooed at Beth. Rachel turned as Blake made her way back into the room with a clean shirt.

"Isn't there thing that prevents her puke from getting on my shirt?" she grumbled to herself. Blake did not like being thrown up on at all.

"Yea I think but I don't know," Rachel stated, "And stop complaining you can wash the shirt it's not the end of the world." Blake just flipped Rachel off in response. Rachel rolled her eyes and continued to walk around rocking the little girl whose eyes were starting to droop. It wasn't long before Beth was sleep again.

"Holy cow how did you know that'd put her back to sleep?" asked Blake as she noticed that the little girl was sleeping soundly in Rachel's arms once again.

"I'm the baby whisperer duh. Oh I saw it on a show once and this isn't that bad to be honest. I don't get way people complain so much." Rachel stated as she placed a sleeping Beth back into her carrier and getting a nod from Blake. Rachel flopped back down onto the couch before starting the movie again.

Almost three hours had passed when Rachel looked over at Blake who had a sleeping Beth on her chest and then at the clock on the wall behind her. While the girls were watching The Amazing Spiderman 2 Beth woke up and was a little fussy. Rachel had guessed that the baby had needed to be changed. So the two girls' googled how to change a diaper before Blake attempted to change her. Once the little girl was changed Rachel had rocked her back to sleep and tried to put the little girl back into her car seat. However after 20 minutes Beth once again was fussy. Blake guessed that Beth wanted to be held and pick her up. Once Beth was placed on Blake's chest, feeling her heart beat and warmth she fell back asleep in no time. Blake didn't place Beth back into her car seat out of fear of waking her up. It was nearing 10 pm and there was no sign of Quinn anywhere, not a single phone call or text message.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything but I've gotta whiz bad. Where the fuck is Quinn?" Blake asked. She really didn't want to disturb the little girl sleeping so peacefully on her chest, but she really had to go.

"I don't know she should have been back by now." Rachel replied with a shrug.

"Hold her because I'm about to piss my pants dude." Blake stated as she stood and handed Rachel the baby before running down the hall to the bathroom.

Rachel chuckled at her and grabbed her phone to text Quinn and see how much longer she'd be. She made sure to move slowly and not jostle the sleeping baby in her arms. Rachel typed up a quick message and hit the send button her phone. Not even a few seconds later she received a message stating that the message did not go through. Rachel made a face at her phone before sending another message and receiving the same failed sent message. She typed a message to Blake who was still in the bathroom.

"Dude I was just in the bathroom for a couple of minutes no need to miss me already." Blake walked back into the living room. Rachel just rolled her eyes in response but instantly that it wasn't her phone that was messing up if Blake had gotten her message.

"You'd have to exactly matter for me to miss you." Rachel retorted with a smirk. Blake gasped dramatically and placed a hand over her chest and she looked offended before chuckling.

"I can't even lie that was a great comeback." Blake stated with a nod. Rachel didn't respond instead deciding to try and call Quinn.

Rachel hit Quinn's number and put her phone next to her ear to wait for it to ring and Quinn to pick up. She was instead met with an automated voice telling her that the number she dialed is no longer in service. Rachel's eyes nearly came out of her head and she nearly dropped her phone onto the sleeping baby in her lap. That couldn't be right she'd seen Quinn use her phone earlier. She tried again and was met with the same message.

"Try calling this number for me?" Rachel asked Blake before reading her Quinn's number. Blake sent Rachel a confused look before typing the number in and hitting the call button. She was met with the same message Rachel had gotten, that the number was no longer in service.

"Why'd you have me call an out of service number?" Blake asked as she looks over at Rachel.

"Try it again?" Rachel asked as the feeling that something might be wrong started to intensify. Blake shrugged her shoulders before trying the number once again.

"I got the same no longer in service message." Blake replied. The color in Rachel's face drained before she stood up and place Beth onto the couch with pillows around her.

"That was Quinn's number." Rachel stated as she began to pace around the living room.

"WHAT ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Blake shouted causing both teens to flinch at how loud her voice had been. Rachel and Blake both turned to check and make sure Beth hadn't woken up from the sudden outburst. Rachel grabbed Blake's arm and drug the other girl back across the hall into the kitchen.

"Please tell me that that was some sick joke Buzz?" Blake asked. Rachel could only shake her head no and begin pacing once again.

Rachel had a million thoughts in her head. What if something happened to Quinn and she couldn't answer? What if something happened while she was walking back from Rachel's house? Rachel thought back to when Quinn was here and when she left. She remembered that she hadn't seen a car in the driveway or parked on the curb. Had Quinn been taken by someone and why was her phone disconnected? Maybe they were just over reacting and Quinn had just forgotten to pay her phone bill.

Rachel calmed herself and grabbed her phone to call one of two people who would know where Quinn was. She decided to call Santana first and if the Latina didn't know where she was then she'd call Brittany. They were Quinn's best friends and had to know where Quinn was. Rachel dialed Santana's number and waited for the other girl to pick up and answer her phone**. **

(Rachel/_Santana_)

"Hey Santana, I have a quick question for you."

_"Who the hell is this?"_

"It's Rachel Berry... from Glee Club."

_"How the fuck do you even have my number Hobbit?"_

"Schue remember, look that's not important right now. Santana I seriously wouldn't have called if it weren't something important."

_"Even then you shouldn't be calling me...we aren't friends remember."_

"Yea I know. Whatever, look, I'm looking for Quinn."

_"First why are you looking for her Manhands? And secondly why would I tell you if I did know where she was?"_

"I don't have time for your shit right now Lopez. Do you know where she fucking is or not?"

"_Who the fuck, do you think you are talking to? I will go all Lima Heights on your little hobbit ass!"_

"DO YOU FUCKING KNOW WHERE SHE IS OR NOT. IT'S A SIMPLE FUCKING YES OR NO QUESTION SANTANA. I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR BULLSHIT RIGHT NOW."

(Rachel groaned and smacked herself in the head when she heard Beth crying from the living. She had forgotten not to raise her voice so loud and had woken Beth with her shouting. Blake quickly walked back into the living and picked up the crying baby to try and calm her down. Rachel turned back to her phone, were she could still hear Santana cursing her out in Spanish.)

"Look Santana, please just tell me if you know where Quinn is, so I can get a hold of her it's important."

_"Tell me why and I'll tell you"_

"Santana I really don't have time for this"

_"Well I guess you don't wanna know"_

"Fuck… Seriously… come on"

_"Rachel that kind of language is crass and unladylike"_

"Whatever Santana, can you tell me now please?"

_"Not until you tell why it's so important"_

"Fuck, you're so damn stubborn. Alright fine you wanna know why, because Quinn came over earlier and asked me to watch Beth. She was supposed to come back to get her and hasn't shown up yet. I have tried texting and calling her and her number is disconnected."

_"Ay dios __mío__, why would she ask you to watch Beth and not me or Britts."_

"Look I don't know now can you tell me if you know where is she or not."

_"I don't believe you."_

"What?"

_"I don't believe you have Beth. I mean seriously, why would she ask you and not me or Britts, it makes no sense."_

(Rachel walked into the living room where Blake was still trying to get a crying Beth to calm down and held out her phone up so that Santana could hear the crying before bringing the phone back to her ear.)

"Believe me now."

_"Oh fuck you are telling the truth."_

"_Yeah, now do you know where Quinn is?"_

"_Me and Britts are coming over."_

"No Santana just tell"

The phone disconnected before Rachel could finish her sentence. She could only stare down at her phone in disbelief. Santana had just hung up on her without telling her where Quinn was. Rachel was beyond worried now and that feeling had intensified even more.

"So did she finally tell you?" Blake asked as the brunette singer walked back into the living room. Rachel had remembered that Beth had a pacifier in her diaper bag and grabbed it before making her way over to the living room. She handed it to Blake who popped the pacifier into the little girl's mouth and continued to bounce Beth in her arms.

"Umm no she's didn't but... they, being Santana and Brittany, Quinn's best friends, are coming over here." Rachel answered as she flopped down onto the couch and began rubbing her temple. She could feel a headache beginning to form.

"Do you feel like something is up? Like I don't know, but I just have this feeling." Blake slightly rambled as she turned to face Rachel. Rachel could only look at her friend in shock and nodded slowly. If Blake felt it as well then something really was wrong.

While the girls waited for Brittany and Santana to show up Blake smell something awful. She looked down before lifting Beth a little and sniffing. Beth really needed to be changed again.

"Dude I changed the last one. It's your turn." Blake stated as she handed Rachel the baby. Rachel rolled her eyes in response before once again pulled up the 'how to change a diaper' video on YouTube. Rachel nearly gagged when she undid the diaper but managed to not through up. As she finished wiping Beth clean and putting the clean diaper on the little girl she noticed Blake walk back into the living room with Beth's diaper bag.

"What are you doing Turtle?" Rachel asked as she watched her best friend begin taking things out of the diaper bag and setting them on the couch.

"I don't know looking for clues or something. I mean seriously who just drops their baby off and not call or text or show up to pick them." Blake replied. Rachel nodded in understanding even though she didn't know what kind of clues Quinn would have left in a diaper bag. Rachel picked Beth up and began rocking and bouncing the little girl once again. The singer turned to face Blake and had finally noticed how many things were actually in the diaper bag.

"Well she did pack a bunch of clothes, diapers, and things. Maybe you're right. She probably meant to ask me to watch her over night while she worked or something." Rachel commented. Blake had dumped every single item in the diaper bag out, even unfolded and refolded the clothes to make sure a note or something wasn't stuck in-between them. She hoped they finally got some answers when whoever was supposed to be coming over got here.

After another 15 minutes of waiting there was a knock on the door. The girls were grateful that whoever was at the door knocked instead of ringing the doorbell, seeing as Rachel had just gotten Beth to go back to sleep. Blake went to answer the door while Rachel laid Beth on a blanket that they had followed and put into a cardboard box. The two teens had read online that placing the little girl on pillows was a bad idea and that the cardboard box could be used as a makeshift bassinet until a real one could be purchased.

Blake opened the door and two beautiful girls were standing on the other side. One of the girls is tall, blonde, and had beautiful blue eyes and dressed in a yellow tank top, short black shorts, and flips. The other girl is shorter then blonde, had black hair, Hispanic, and drop dead gorgeous, and was dressed in a red cut off shirt, black skinny jeans, and black converse.

The two cheerleaders could only stare at her. The blonde girl stepped back and looked at the side of the house. Blake was guessing that she was checking the numbers on the house to make sure that they were at the right address.

Santana and Brittany weren't expecting someone other than Rachel to open the door, well maybe Rachel's fathers, definitely not the curly haired chick that answered the door. Brittany and Santana both had to admit that the girl was extremely sexy, even in her plain purple t shirt and grey sweatpants. Santana couldn't help but stare into the mystery girl's bright green eyes and think that this girl was extremely attractive. For a moment it seemed as though the two best friends had the wrong house and a new family had moved to town.

"Umm does Rachel Berry still live here or do we have the wrong house?" Brittany asked as she turned back to face the girl standing in front of them.

"Yeah and this is the right house. Follow me, but quietly, Rachel just got Beth to go back to sleep." Blake answered quietly before leading the girls further into the house and toward the kitchen. It was the easiest place to talk and keep an eye and ear out for Beth.

Brittany and Santana stopped in the hallway between the kitchen and living room. They looked over noticed a cardboard box sitting on top of the couch. They heard a throat clear behind them and turned to see Rachel and the mystery girl sitting at a table.

"Beth's in the box. We read online that it was the best alternative to use." Rachel stated with a shrug. Santana and Brittany nodded in response before walking toward the table the other two girls were sitting at. As they pulled out chairs to sit down in Santana pulled an envelope out of her jacket pocket and slide it across the table to Rachel.

"That was taped to the back window of your car." Santana explained as she finally sat down.

Rachel caught the envelope and saw her name on the front of it. She scrunched her nose in confusion before opening the letter and instantly knew it was Quinn's handwriting. She and the blonde cheerleader had to work together on a project once for English class and the blonde girl preferred to handwrite thing versus typing it up.

_Dear Rachel,_

_I'm so... so... so... sorry for doing this to you and for everything I've ever done to you in the past. I know I have already apologized for that but I never gave you a reason as to way. Well the reason I bullied and harassed you so much was out of pure jealousy and spite. You got to wake up every day and be yourself while I had to hide. You got the loving parents who are always there while mine just wanted the perfect daughter to fit their perfect image to show off to friends. You got the amazing talent and even amazing looks along with the great personality while I had to work so hard for all of that and be a total bitch in order to be on top. _

_It was wrong of me to take that anger out on you and I'm sorry for that. You were an easy target because you didn't let the taunts and things get to you. You managed to smile and hold your head high no matter what I hit you with and that infuriated me. I wanted to make you feel how I felt all the time. I honestly should have embraced that instead of shunning you. We probably would have been amazing friends. _

_If you are reading this then you have noticed that I haven't come back yet and went out to search for me. I will tell you now that I'm not at my house or anywhere else in town. I had to leave town and I'm not coming back. I didn't know what else to do or who else to turn to. Brittany and Santana would have asked a million questions._

_Out of all our teammates, you are the one who is constantly there for everyone no matter what and I know your heart is big enough to help her. I know you'd figure out what to do and take great care of Beth. I know that you will find her a loving family and home. I can't take her with me and I couldn't let her become another clone of my parents. I want her to have a chance to thrive at life and be whoever she wants to be. I know you'd do everything in your power to ensure that. I also know that you'd make sure she is safe and happy. Please make sure she has a loving family and home, the two things I never had and can't give her myself. I'm sorry for doing this, this way Rachel but Thank you. Take care of her please._

_Quinn Fabray_

Rachel read the letter three times before slumping back into her chair. She had absolutely no idea what to think after reading that later. Blake eyed her best friend as she read the letter and watched the emotions play across her face. Once Rachel sat back the letter fell limp in her hands Blake grabbed it and read it. Blake left the room immediately after reading the letter herself, startling Rachel out of her thoughts.

Rachel looked up and watched Blake walk out of the room. She should go after Blake see what she was thinking but Rachel herself was in complete disbelief. Rachel had some many emotions running through her body at once. She was angry at the fact that Quinn pretended to know her when in fact she didn't know the first thing about Rachel. She couldn't fathom how Quinn could think that Rachel's life was perfect when she herself made sure it was a living hell. Rachel didn't have perfect parents, nor did she think she had the perfect body, and the only time she could be herself was when she was at home.

Rachel was also feeling confused, tired, a little hungry, and shocked. The main thought that kept repeating itself in her head is that Quinn is gone. Quinn was gone and she had left Beth. She had just left her child with Rachel. The same Rachel that she had tormented before forming a tentative friendship with and who is only 17 years old and about to start her senior year of high school. Rachel hadn't ever really babysat before, except the few times she had to sit with her and Blake's younger cousin for like an hour or so. Other than those few times she had no experience with kids. What was she supposed to do with a kid?

**A/N: So what do you guy think of the changes. Reviews, follows, comments, message are all encouraged I loved to hear your thoughts, whether good or bad. Thank you for taking the time to read this story again or for the first time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Drug use ahead. **

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.**

**Chapter 2**

Rachel sat staring at the letter that Quinn had left for her. She had grabbed the letter once again and reread it to make sure that she had read it write and not imagined the words that were written. She had a million different thoughts running through her mind as she stared at the words on the paper. It was probably one of the first times in her life she had absolutely no idea what to do. Quinn was gone and had left Beth with her. Rachel thought back to earlier when Quinn came over with Beth and when she left. She remembered that the ex-cheerleader was super fidgety and jumpy almost like something was wrong. Rachel couldn't believe she had just dismissed the signs. She had just assumed Quinn was nervous about asking her to watch Beth, she never suspected there to be more to it.

Rachel's emotions were all over the place and seemed to change every time she took a deep breath. On top of the anger and confusion she was sad that Quinn felt like she couldn't ask for help and had to give her daughter up. She was scared because she had absolutely no idea what to do about the whole situation. She was also super worried that she wouldn't do the right thing and Beth would be hurt by whatever she decided to do somehow. Rachel was responsible for another life at the moment and she didn't know how to proceed.

Rachel hadn't said anything since rereading the letter and the two cheerleaders were becoming anxious. Brittany grabbed the letter out of Rachel's hands and she and Santana read it. They wanted answers as to why Quinn left Beth with Rachel and why the other two girls had reacted the way that they had. The two cheerleaders both sat back in their chairs stunned after they read the letter. They too were experiencing several emotions at once. They were angry that Quinn had left and not come to them for help. They were all supposed to be best friends and have each other's back. They were also hurt that Quinn had gone to Rachel instead of them. They could understand partially because Quinn had been right in her letter about them asking questions. They would have noticed her behavior and immediately questioned her on what was going on.

Brittany looked over and watched as Rachel's face flashed with several different emotions. She could only imagine all the different things that were going through Rachel's mind. Santana was looking from the letter to Rachel then Brittany and the doorway. She was wondering what was going on in the other two girls head and also where the other girl had went off too. Brittany reached her hand out and placed it on Rachel's in a silent offer of support neither of the girls saying anything. All three just sat in silence while trying to sort their emotions and thoughts out.

Rachel felt all her thoughts and emotions begin to clear and calm as she felt a hand land on top of her own. She looked down at the hand then up to the owner of said hand who just so happened to be none other than Brittany Pierce, the girl she had been crushing on since forever. Brittany sent a small smile in Rachel's direction which she couldn't help but return. Rachel took a deep breath and calmed herself even more before nodding at Brittany in thanks.

Santana noticed the small moment between the two girls and smirked. She knew how Brittany felt about the tiny singer. It was one of the many reason she and Brittany had never developed into something more than just friends. Yes she will admit that they had slept together a few times when drunk but that was it.

Rachel looked away from Brittany once Blake walked back into the kitchen. The curly haired girl caught the end of the small moment between Rachel and Brittany but didn't comment on it like she usually would have. She simply walked across the kitchen towards the sliding glass door and opening it before walking over and reclaiming her seat at the table and placing a book down in front of her.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing? There is a baby in the other room, we can't." Rachel stated as soon as she realized what Blake had sat on the table. She instantly recognized the book and knew what Blake had in mind.

"Not to mention we have guest." she added after a few moments as she turned, looking over at Brittany and Santana.

"If anyone else had gotten news like we just did then they'd be drinking themselves into a stupor. We don't drink and we have our reasons for not drinking, so this is the next best thing." Blake replied simply.

"So come on Buzz, you know we need this." She added sending Rachel her puppy dog face. Rachel grumbled in response but nodded her head in agreement. She couldn't deny that Blake was right and that they did in fact need this.

Santana and Brittany sat stunned at hearing Rachel curse. They also watched the way the two girls interacted with one another. It was easy to tell that the two girls were extremely close and very use to one another. The two cheerleaders couldn't help but wonder how the two girls knew one another. They had never seen the curly haired girl before and both wanted to know who she was and how she knew Rachel. They didn't even know that Rachel knew anyone outside of their Glee club. Most teens in this town didn't like Rachel and refused to be friends with her in fear of being picked on as well. The cheerleaders had so many questions but they also knew that Rachel probably had several questions of her own and a ton of other things on her mind right now.

Blake sighed in relief after getting the nod from Rachel. She really needed something help calm her down and she knew that Rachel was feeling the same way. She opened the book to reveal that the inside had been cut out and was filled with something. She pulled out a bag of weed, a grinder, and a pack of cigarillos. The two cheerleaders could only sit and watch in shock as Blake quickly grinded up some of the weed before rolling two blunts without thinking and handing one to Rachel. It wasn't until after she had handed Rachel her own blunt and about to light the one she had that she remembered they weren't alone.

"Umm sorry do uh…umm... you guys want one or whatever?" Blake nearly stuttered out. She had almost forgotten about them in her need to calm down and not think for a bit. Brittany and Santana shared a look and silently communicated with one another. Neither had ever smoked weed before but if Rachel was doing it then they had no reason to say no. Brittany nodded her head and Santana nodded to confirm that they were on the same page.

"We'll just share with you guys...umm if that's ok." Santana replied looking from Rachel to Blake.

"Yeah, dope." Blake answered while Rachel shrugged. She honestly didn't care if the two cheerleaders agreed to smoke with them or not. Right now all she wanted to do was chill out and not think for a little while.

Blake lit her blunt before passing the lighter to Rachel who used it to light her own before placing it back in the box. Both took a big first hit knowing they needed to get high and fast. They both took two more hits before passing, Rachel to Brittany and Blake to Santana. Rachel gave both girls a quick lesson on how they should smoke before the two cheerleaders took their first hit as Blake piled everything else back into the book and shut it. The two cheerleaders nodded in understanding of Rachel's explanation before taking their first hit. Both girls immediately started coughing a little bit once they exhaled the smoke. All four girls sat in silence for a few minutes as they smoked and passed the two blunts back and forth before Rachel broke the silence.

"So do you have any idea where is Quinn and did you know she was going to do this?" Rachel asked after she took her hit and passed to Brittany. Both Santana and Brittany shared a look before turning back to face Rachel.

"Rachel, we swear we have no idea where Quinn is nor did we know that she was going to leave Beth with you." Santana started to reply.

"We honestly didn't know what to think so we went by her job and house after your call. Her boss had told us she had quit right before her shift and her house from what we could tell looked empty." Brittany added. Santana nodded for Brittany to continue on while she took her turn smoking.

"We talked to her a few days ago and everything seemed fine. We hung out and nothing seemed different with her except she like was tired like any mom with a three month old baby and not a lot of help would be." Brittany continued as she passed back to Rachel.

Both Rachel and Blake sat back and took in the information they were just told. Rachel instantly knew that Quinn really was gone and that if these two didn't know where she was then no one did. What was Rachel supposed to do now? This was really happening and not some sick prank or bad dream.

"Fuck this shit isn't a dream." Rachel gasped out and then yelped in pain.

"What the fuck man?" Rachel started to shout but remembered the sleeping baby in the other room. Quinn's sleeping baby that she had left in Rachel's care.

"Well you felt that so sorry Buzz you ain't dreaming." Blake stated before laughing lightly. Rachel rolled her eyes at her friend and kicked her under the table. Blake yelped in pain before pouting as Rachel smirked in return.

They were almost finished with the first two blunts when Rachel shrugged her shoulders and began rolling two more. If this wasn't a dream then she really needed to relax before she started hyperventilating. I mean seriously getting high was the only thing keeping her sane and from having a total meltdown. She also knew the Blake wouldn't be opposed to smoking some more. The girls all sat in silence again as they begun smoking their second blunt.

"So not to be rude but, who the fuck are you and how the hell do you two know each other?" Santana asked after a few moments getting a nod from Brittany.

Both cheerleaders had been wondering that this whole time and couldn't sit there and not know who this girl was any longer. They knew that they should be worried about Quinn and everything that they had just found out but the high was starting to cloud their minds. Brittany was curious as to what this girl's relationship was with Rachel. For Santana, she just had to know the girl's name, where she came from, and who she was to Rachel. She couldn't help but want to know everything about the girl sitting next to her. Santana had to shake her head for a second, she had just met this girl and she shouldn't want to know the girl's life story.

Blake looked up at Santana who was staring at her with a look she couldn't decipher. Santana was looking at Blake like she was a puzzle that Santana would solve at all cost. Blake squirmed under the gaze of Santana's chocolate brown eyes. She coughed and looked at Rachel who only shrugged in response. Rachel always mellowed out so much when she was high.

"Blake, umm...I'm Blake July and uh we're basically like sisters." Blake answered with a smile on her face as she looked over at her best friend.

"We met as kids and have been inseparable ever since well until I moved away that is. But even then our friendship has held strong." Rachel added in with a smile of her own.

"How did you two meet?" Brittany asked out of curiosity. Rachel and Blake laughed before telling the story of how they met.

_(Flashback)_

_A 6 year old Rachel Barbara Berry, dressed in a Power Rangers' t-shirt, khaki shorts, and her favorite pair of light up sneakers, made her way across the playground to the sandbox to play alone, something she was all too familiar with. She was once again the new kid in school and had play alone as she watched the other kids play around her. This was the third move for her family and no one had come up to her wanting to play with her. _

_The Berry family had been forced to move from their home in Colorado this time because someone had found out about Rachel's secret and told that secret to others within the community. The little family of three kept receiving dirty looks and had even been threatened a couple of times and had a few of their belongings vandalized. After the fourth time of the local police not doing anything the Berry men decided that it would be best for them to move somewhere new. They explained to Rachel why they were moving before packing up their life and moving to New York City. Rachel knew as long as no one found out her secret that they'd be able to stay longer this time. She was determined to make friends and keep her secret a secret. She was tired of moving around so much. _

_As she was about to finish building her sand castle it was pushed down by two boys from her class. Rachel could only watch in shock as her little masterpiece was destroyed._

_"Hey I was building that!" Rachel jumped up off of the ground and yelled at the two boys. _

_"So what big nose what you gonna do about it?" the first little boy with black hair replied. _

_"I'll have to report your barbaric ways to the teacher." Rachel retorted with a firm nod as she place both of her hands on her hips. _

_"We aren't Barbie's or whatever you called us and you aren't going to tell anyone." the second boy with long blonde hair growled out before stepping forward and pushing Rachel down onto her butt. The tiny brunette's eyes instantly began to tear up but she refused to let them fall especially in front of these two. Her daddy's always told her to never let the bully's see you cry. _

_The two boys grabbed handfuls of sand and were getting ready to throw them at Rachel who had her face covered and eyes closed. As they prepared to hurl the sand at Rachel the first boy was pushed down from behind. The second little boy dropped the sand in his hands before turning and throwing a punch at the mystery person. The mystery person easily side stepped and dodged the punch before shoving the second little boy down as well. It was at that moment that Rachel realized that her savior was another little girl with very curly hair who was also in her class._

_Rachel saw the fist boy stand and running to tackle the other girl and yelled. "Watch out!" The girl turned just in time to spin out of the little boy's path and trip him causing him to fall onto his friend. The boys knocked their heads against one another and cried out in pain. The little boys looked up at the mystery girl walked over and leaned down._

_"You mess with her you mess with me. Got it." the mystery girl stated with a growl. Both boys nodded their heads quickly then got up and ran off not bothering to look back. The little girl waited until the two boys were out of sight before turning and smiling down at Rachel. She wanted to make sure that the other girl was o.k. The two boys were known bullies and her mama had always taught her to stand up for others who couldn't stand up for themselves. _

_"You alright?" the mystery asked holding her hand out to help Rachel up. Rachel could only nod her head in return she'd never had anyone stand up for her. _

_Rachel took the other girl's hand and stood up. Rachel examined the little girl in front of her. The other little girl had really curly hair, bright green eyes, dimples, and light freckles across her nose. She was dressed in a Ninja Turtles' t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and green converse. Rachel had seen this girl get in trouble a few times in class that morning. The other little girl is a class clown and doing funny things that got her in trouble with the teachers. Rachel knew she shouldn't be friends with such a troublemaker but she wasn't about to pass up the chance at making a friend. _

_"I'm Blake Idina July and I have a feeling we're going to best friends." the little girl introduced herself shaking Rachel's hand before letting go. _

_"Rachel Barbara Berry and although I don't condone violence I want to thank you for your help with those Neanderthals. If we're going to be friends then I'm going to have to keep you out of trouble." Rachel stated as she shook Blake's hand in return. Blake looked at Rachel in confusion before chuckling for herself._

_"And I'll keep you from getting your butt kicked for talking like that and show you how to chill and since we're friends now I will always have you back." Blake stated as she puffed her little chest out. Rachel could only smile and nod her head in return. She couldn't believe that she had just made her first friend._

_(End Flashback)_

As six year olds they couldn't have fathomed how much they would mean to each other. They had become so much then just best friends. They are sisters and knew everything about one another. They had been through so much together and their relationship had only strengthened over the years. Nothing could bring them apart. They needed each other and always would. They shared something that no besides their parents and a few family members knew about.

"Sometimes I wonder why I let you stay around you caused so much trouble for me." Rachel joked as she looked at Blake with a smile on her face.

"Whatever, Buzz I totally let you stay around." Blake retorted sending Rachel a smile in return.

"Whatever dude you know for a fact you'd have gotten ten times as much trouble if it hadn't been for me covering for your ass all the time." Rachel retorted with a small laugh

" And you would have gotten your ass kicked ten times more if I hadn't been there to save you so much." Blake replied back quickly.

"Lord knows that mouth wrote more checks then your ass could cash." Blake added after a few moments. Both girls both laughed at that comment. Rachel and Blake reached across the table and did one of the many handshakes that they had come up with.

Rachel knew it was the truth Blake always had her back and was always ready to defend her if needed. She even insisted that Rachel take martial arts classes with her and learn how to defend herself, if she ever had to and Blake wasn't around. Rachel had to admit that living in New York that was a smart decision plus it kept her in shape.

Blake was only older than Rachel by two months but still considered herself Rachel's big sister (not just because of height either) and protector. Yeah she knew all about McKinley but after many… many discussions most of them consisted of Blake plotting on how to hurt a lot of the students in the worse than they had hurt Rachel. However Rachel after many... many discussions had convinced her to not judge anyone before getting to know them. Rachel had also convinced Blake that she had to let Rachel fight this battle herself. Blake however knew that she would step in if it happened in front of her because she could never stand by and just let someone attack her best friend/sister. It wasn't going to happen on her watch ever.

Santana and Brittany watched the girls explained their story and banter back and forth before doing what looked like some secret handshake or something. The two cheerleaders couldn't help but laugh and smile at the two girl's banter and all round dorkiness. Blake and Rachel both felt their face flush a little from being caught doing one of their handshakes. They have several and all had different means. That one was a simple version of what they call their "to infinity and beyond handshake"; which to them meant I love you and I'll always be there for you no matter what.

"So you now know who I am and if from what Rachel has told me you are Santana and you are Brittany," Blake stated after a few moments pointing from the brunette to the blonde.

Blake had heard plenty about the two girls sitting around the table with them. It wasn't until today that she could put faces to the name. Blake defiantly recognized Brittany because Rachel talked about the blonde a lot. She was just as pretty as Rachel had described her. Blake couldn't lie and say that wasn't a little upset because of the things the two cheerleaders had put Rachel through but she keeping her emotions in check. She had promised Rachel a long time ago that she give some of the glee club members a chance to prove that they weren't the assholes they had to be at school. Rachel always insisted that they were just putting on an act like she was and Blake rarely said no to Blake.

"I know all about both of you and the shit you pulled on Buzz and as much as I want to kick your ass, I was tricked into agreeing to get to know you for myself before I judge you. Don't think I'm let that shit fly while I'm here though so watch ya self and how you treat my little sister." Blake added after a few moments of silence. She made sure to look both girls in the eyes so they would know that she meant business and would protect Rachel from any and every one.

Brittany and Santana both sat completely shocked neither of the two cheerleaders could belief what they'd just heard. Blake had basically said she wants to kick their ass, but would give them a chance to prove themselves whatever that meant. Neither girl really knew what to think about what was said. They weren't use to someone being so blunt towards them. They were two of the most popular girls in school and most people were afraid to say anything to them. However Blake was not afraid of them and extremely protective of Rachel.

Santana and Brittany also couldn't help but realize that this Rachel was an entirely different Rachel than the one they thought they knew. During the short time they had spent with the other girls they had noticed all of the differences in the brunette singer. She was calmer, funnier, sarcastic, and apparently smoked weed. The two cheerleaders realized that Rachel Berry outside of school was so much more then Rachel Berry inside the walls of McKinley. It was almost as if the Rachel she was at school was a fake mask just like the ones Santana and Brittany wore while at school.

It made them wonder if because of their taunting and bullying that Rachel felt the need to hide her real self. It also made them feel bad that the singer felt the need to hide herself from them. The Rachel sitting in front of them now probably hated them for what they had done. Well what Santana had done and Brittany let happen because Brittany had never really been a part of the bullying and taunting nor did she step in and stop it.

Brittany and Santana were two thirds what the students at McKinley called the Unholy Trinity. They were the top cheerleaders and the most popular girls at their school. They were also the reason and cause for most of Rachel's torment at school. If they were honest it was Quinn's older sister, Franny, who had targeted Rachel on her first day in the ninth grade, but they had went along with it and never tried to stop it. And even after Franny graduated Quinn and Santana continued with the nicknames and encouraged the other girls on the squad and football players to continue the taunts. It sort of became the thing to do and Rachel was dubbed the social pariah of their school.

It wasn't until Santana had joined Glee and Rachel had stood up for her when everyone had thought she had stole the set list that she stopped throwing names and hurling super mean insults at Rachel. She only called her Berry and sometimes made fun of the way she dressed but how could she not when Rachel dressed the way she did. Some of the sweaters she wore were horrible. Santana felt especially bad about the way she told Rachel about her and Finn sleeping together. She didn't regret telling her because Rachel deserved to know the truth. Santana just wishes she had told the girl in private versus in front of the whole glee club. In her defense the whole stripper comment pissed her off and put her on the defensive. She can't control what Snixx does.

Brittany and Santana shared a look and had a silent conversation. The Rachel in front of them was an entirely different person and they both wanted to get to know her and earn her trust for different reasons. Brittany felt like this was her one chance and Santana supported her best friend. Not to mention if Rachel and Blake had managed to stay friends for this long then there has to be reason. Rachel must be something special for Blake to be so protective of her and work so hard to stay close with her. They both knew what they needed to do and that was; apologize.

In truth Santana wanted her best friend to be happy and being with Rachel would make Brittany beyond happy. The blonde dancer had been crushing on Rachel forever. And Santana owed Rachel for standing up for her and believing in her when she didn't have a reason to. Santana also for some reason wanted to show the green eyed beauty that she wasn't the person that Rachel had described. She wanted to show the other girl that she was a better person than that. Santana shook her head before turning to look at Rachel keeping her eyes locked onto chocolate brown orbs.

"Alright look I don't like doing this mushy shit or apologizing because Santana Lopez doesn't apologize, but... ugh... I... umm... fuck alright I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the stupid shit I put you through... fuck this feeling sucks... I shouldn't have done it I should have told Franny and then Quinn to fuck off, but she was my friend and you always have your friends' back ya know. I'm not making excuses or nothing. It was super childish, cowardly, and fucked up and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for how I treated you. I mean you believed me sophomore year about the whole set list thing when you didn't have to. Fuck Rachel I'm sorry. I should have stood up for you and stopped all that shit but I was scared of what everyone else would thank. I'm so sorry." Santana rambled out.

Santana fidgeted with her hands the entire time she spoke, but somehow managed to keep eye contact with Rachel throughout her little speech. She could sit here and blame her actions on others but she knew that wasn't true. She had been afraid of what the other students would do if she stood up for Rachel. She was so caught up in staying on top of the pyramid that she put Rachel and others down to do it. It will always be one of the things Santana regrets most about high school. That thing being that, she wasn't strong enough to say fuck off to everyone else and just be herself.

Rachel sat completely stunned and speechless as stared at the cheerleader in front of her. She opened and closed her mouth several times trying to find the words to say. However her brain was all over the places and she could find her words. She couldn't believe that Santana Lopez, the Santana "Satan" Lopez had just apologized to her, Rachel "Manhands, Hobbit, Midget, Troll, RuPaul, Stubbles" Berry. She had honestly thought she'd never see the day that that would happen, like ever. I mean it's fucking Santana Lopez and Santana Lopez does not apologize ever. She knew Santana wasn't the same person she portrayed at school but the no apologizing seemed to be one hundred percent Santana.

Santana squirmed in her seat as Rachel continued to stare at her. The Latina cheerleader had to admit that was actually kind of nervous with Rachel lack of response. Rachel hadn't said anything for what seemed like forever and in reality it had only been a couple of minutes. Rachel was still just sitting there with her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Santana couldn't help but think of Sam and his trouty mouth and she wanted to laugh but kept it in, barely. Who knew that getting high would make her so giddy yet serious at the same time? Santana had been expecting Rachel to yell, tell her to fuck off, to get out of her house and never come back, or something along those lines. She however not been expecting Rachel to start laughing. It kind of upset and worried her that Rachel was laughing after she had apologized and opened up to her.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at this situation. It was insane that on the same night that the HBIC, Quinn "Ice Queen" Fabray, would leave her baby with Rachel, the Enforcer of that HBIC, Santana "Satan" Lopez, would be apologizing to Rachel for all the things she had done to her. It was like some crazy ass dream. A crazy ass dream created by the weed that she had smoked, yes that's it.

"Fuck, I gotta be dreaming now, for real," Rachel panted out through her laughter. Rachel yelped in pain again when Blake decided to punch her in the arm this time.

"Nope still awake, damn Buzz you touching the clouds already, weakkkkkk." Blake stated seriously before cracking up.

"Damn I'm funny." Blake said before giving herself a high five. This made everyone burst out laughing. O.k. so maybe they all were stoned at the moment.

"Turtle, you are such a fucking dork dude." Rachel commented after calming down. She took a few moments to breathe before turning to Santana and look directly into the other girl's eyes.

"Alright so, I believe and have already forgiven you. I don't like to hold onto grudges because it's a waste of my time and life's too short. Plus if I had held on to all that anger and hurt I felt from the shit you guys did to me, I'd be one fucked up kid right now. It also helps that I take martial arts training and get to beat the shit of punching bags and sometimes opponents. I don't trust you right now, but I'm willing to give you a chance to show me the real you. It'd be super hypocritical of me to force Blake to give you a chance to redeem yourself and I not give you that chance myself. I won't forget but I can forgive." Rachel stated firmly getting a nod from Blake.

"What you can't forgive me. You have to hate me. You are supposed to be yelling and screaming at me." Santana countered in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Rachel was forgiving her just like that.

Santana knew that she wouldn't have ever forgiven someone if they had done to her what she and others did to Rachel. She made almost every day of the girl's life hell or watched as others did. Yeah she got a little better after joining glee but she still let it go own. Now she really felt like shit because if Rachel could forgive her just like that then it definitely proved just how better a person Rachel was. It proved that Santana had been wrong about her assumptions for years. She was starting to regret not taking up Rachel's offers of friendship through the years.

Rachel reached across the table and placed a hand on top of one of Santana's hands that was balled up on the table and waited until the other girl looked up and made eye contact with her once again.

"I know what you are thinking and like I said if I held on to that shit I'd be going to so much therapy right now. I have an outlet for my anger and I figured you needed one for your anger. I know there is a good person inside of you Santana Lopez. I have always seen that good person and I'm willing to get to know that person and give the real Santana a chance to shine through. I mean you've been in my home for a couple of hours and you haven't insulted or called me any of those stupid nicknames the whole time. Hell you even apologized when you didn't have to. That leads me to believe that the Santana at school isn't the Santana outside of it. You have to forgive yourself because I have but like I said earlier I won't forget or let it happen anymore. You only get one shot at this so try not to fuck it up. I'm honestly sick of being everyone's punching bag and I won't let it happen anymore." Rachel replied never letting her eyes leave Santana's. Rachel wanted the other to really hear and understand what she was saying. Rachel Berry was no longer going to anyone's shit.

Santana still couldn't believe what was happening. She didn't know how Rachel figured that out or how she could still be willing to give her a shot at friendship after everything. She knew she'd have to do a lot to truly earn the other brunette's trust and friendship.

"I can't promise anything because I'm me and I'm going to fuck up but I can say that I will try to make up for it. I wanna get to know this chill ass Rachel sitting in front of me." Santana stated with a smile.

It was their senior year and they were teammates. And to be honest she was tired of always attacking Rachel when the girl never did anything to deserve it. If not simply for the reason that Rachel was turning out to be awesome then for the reason that her best friend was kinda in love with Rachel. Santana had a feeling that Brittany was going to make sure that Rachel would be around a lot more now then ever. Santana wouldn't be the reason her best friend missed her chance with the woman of her dreams, Brittany's words not Santana's.

**A/N: Next chapter continues from this one. Brittany apologizes, the girls begin to discuss what they should do with Beth, and we learn a little more about Blake and Rachel's life.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**Chapter 3**

Brittany and Blake sat silently in their seats and listened to Santana and Rachel's conversation. Both girls knew that this was a big moment for the Rachel and Santana, and didn't want to disturb this moment. Blake respected that Santana had owned up and apologized for past actions. It showed Blake that Rachel had been right and that Santana wasn't the person she portrayed. Blake had to admit that she also never thought that Rachel would get any kind of apology from anyone in Lima. However here was Santana opening up and apologizing. The brunette cheerleader was turning out to be a big mystery.

Brittany smiled because she was so proud of her best friend. She knows how much Santana hates being wrong and apologizing. Santana believed that apologizing made her weak and vulnerable, two things the brunette cheerleading absolutely hated being. And for her to apologize on her own without any prompting from Brittany was huge. Brittany had this feeling that her feelings for a certain little singer played a part in the reason why Santana had apologized.

Brittany waited until Rachel moved her hand from atop Santana's before she took the other girl's hand in her own and locked her blue eyes onto Rachel's brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry Rachel." she started already trying to fight back tears. If Brittany had any regrets in life it had to be the way she stood by and let Rachel be treated. Just like Santana, she had let the need to be on top of the social pyramid dictate her actions.

"I know I never really called you names or slushied you but I did stand-by while it happened. I could have stepped in and stopped it or done something but I didn't. I was a coward and just as bad as those who did bully you. I pretended I didn't know what was going on and hid behind the dumb blonde cheerleader act so I didn't have to own up for my actions but I'm doing that now. I know it's going to take a while for you to trust me even if you do forgive me already. I understand that and I do promise to earn your trust and friendship. I just want you to know that I'm sorry so sorry for everything I did and that I'm willing to do anything to try and make up for it." Brittany finished apologizing as she looked down at the table in front her. She had no clue how she managed to say all of that without bursting out into tears. Rachel smiled and squeezed Brittany's hand waiting until the blonder cheerleader looked up again.,

"I course I'd forgive you Britt. How couldn't stay mad at you if I tried if I'm honest. You can't blame yourself for the actions of others. I don't like it but I do understand why you did what you did. I hope you do earn my trust. I really do. Having you as a friend would mean so much to me. Having both of you as friends would mean more then you both would ever know." Rachel stated with a smile on her face.

"Why can't you stay mad at her?" Santana asked with a small smirk on her face. She had noticed the little slip up.

"Well Buzz here, ouch fuck." Blake yelped out in pain and she reached down and rubbed her shin.

"What my awesome best friend was going to say is that it's impossible for anyone to stay mad at Brittany." Rachel stated as she sent a look at Blake to keep her mouth shut. Santana only hummed in response as Brittany giggled.

Brittany honestly felt some of the weight from the guilt that had been eating at her lifted off of her shoulders. She knew that Rachel was right and could blame herself but it'd still take awhile before she fully forgave herself. Brittany knew that the bullying and harassment had hurt Rachel more than the tiny brunette ever let show. People always thought that Brittany was stupid and didn't understand what was going on around her. And because of that Brittany was able to listen in and watch everything that went on in the halls of McKinley.

All Brittany had to do was stand and look up at the ceiling and people would talk about anything and everything like she wasn't even there. She saw the pain that was in Rachel's eyes sometimes when the singer thought no one was paying attention. Brittany saw the hurt and the longing to be included and appreciated that Rachel let show at rare times. Brittany wouldn't go as far as to say she was stalking Rachel like Jacob Ben Israel did but she did tend to let her eyes linger on Rachel longer than what some people would deem appropriate.

"So, now what do we do?" Brittany asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah this mushy crap is giving me the hives." Santana added getting laughs from the others.

"Honestly I don't know." Rachel replied as she thought about rolling another blunt that they could pass around the table. Rachel shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the book and proceeded to roll once more.

Blake looked between the three girls before getting up and going in search of food. She was hungry and her munchies were starting to set in. The curly haired girl couldn't deny that she was happy that both girls had owned up for their actions. She was trying her hardest to keep her emotions out of it but Rachel is her little sister and she'd protect her from anything and anyone.

"Fuck yeah," Blake mumbled as she fist pumped in the air when she found a bag of Cheetos and a box of thin mint Girl Scout Cookies. Those and the peanut butter ones were her favorite and she always bought tons of them. Some lucky Girl Scout member always racked up a ton of sales from Blake and Rachel alone.

As she made her way back to the table and sat down munching on her chips she noticed everyone staring at her.

"What... I'm fucking hungry." Blake stated.

"Fatass." Rachel replied simply. Blake stood up from the table and lifted her shirt revealing her toned and defined midsection. She looked down and then back up at Rachel and smirked.

"Oh yeah... totally fatty over here..." Blake replied sarcastically before sitting back down and then jumping back up to grab a glass of almond milk to go with the cookies. She actually really liked almond and soy milk.

"Do you have abs like that?" Brittany asked as she turned to look at Rachel.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rachel replied with smirk and wink. Brittany's eyes glossed over and she nodded her head in agree as she imagined Rachel's abs under her shirt.

Rachel had missed the head nod seeing as she gotten up and went to the fridge to grab herself a snack. She settled on a few slices of leftover vegan pizza from lunch earlier that day. Blake however had noticed the head nod and glossed over look in Brittany's eyes. She couldn't help that maybe the feelings between Rachel and Brittany weren't so one sided.

Santana could only sit stunned as she wasn't expecting Blake to lift her shirt. She definitely wasn't expecting the beautifully sculpted work of art that was Blake's abs. She was literally fighting the urge to not jump the girl right here and right now. This feeling was foreign and strange to Santana. She had never wanted someone so instantly before. Yeah Santana found women attractive but never like the way she felt just now, this scared and worried her. She was also thanking good for her naturally tan skin tone because if not then she would be beet red and flustered. She took a deep breath to calm herself and stole a cookie from Blake who pouted in response. She couldn't help think it was cute.

Rachel had noticed the change in Santana once she reclaimed her seat at the table. She didn't make a comment but vowed to keep an eye on the Latina. She believed that Santana was better and different person then she portrayed however she wasn't going to let anyone hurt Blake. Rachel is just as protective of Blake as Blake is of her. They were best friends/sisters for life. It has always been them versus the world. Rachel's thoughts were broken by the sound of a baby crying from the other room.

Blake was the first to react to the sounds and got up before heading across the hall with the two cheerleaders following closely behind her. Rachel glanced over at the clock and realized it must be Beth's feeding time again seeing as it just past 2 in the morning. She also couldn't believe how much time had passed with them all sitting in the kitchen and smoking.

Rachel went over to the counter to fix another bottle as Blake scooped the little girl into her arms and began soothing her. Rachel was extremely happy that Quinn had left instructions on how to make a bottle otherwise she'd be lost. As she was making the bottle she was sort of thankful that Quinn packed so much formula and other things. Rachel was positive that they would need it all.

Rachel paused in the middle of adding formula as her thoughts drifted to on Quinn Fabray. Quinn was really gone and had left her child and no one knew except them. And to be honest they didn't even know anything themselves really except that she was gone. They didn't know where, what happened, or why. They had so many questions and zero answers. Rachel couldn't help but wonder where Quinn was or if something serious had happened to the blonde cheerleader. What could have happened that would make Quinn decide to leave Beth? She said something about her parents in the letter, but that couldn't just be it, there had to be more to it. It would be extremely difficult for a mother to leave her child, Rachel would think.

Rachel remembered being in the room after Quinn had given birth to Beth and saw how the blonde ex-cheerleader had such a look of happiness and joy on her face as she stared down at her little girl. Rachel witnessed with her own eyes the tears of joy in Quinn's it just didn't make sense that she'd just leave her. And why did she really choose Rachel. Yeah Rachel was responsible and would do anything to help but Quinn could have easily dropped her off at a orphanage or police station or even a hospital. Why Rachel and none of those places. She really wanted the answers to these things and knew she'd probably never get them. What was she even supposed to do? Take Beth to the police or call an adoption agency. For once Rachel had absolutely no idea what to do.

Rachel was brought out when she heard Beth start to cry louder and Blake trying even harder to soothe her. She quickly finished making the bottle and cleaned up before grabbing the bottle and making her way back to the living room. She couldn't help but feel like she forgot to grab something.

Rachel quickly handed Blake the bottle and she quickly popped it into the infant's mouth. Beth cried a little bit longer before realizing there was something her mouth and that it was her milk. She began drinking her bottle as Blake sat down on the couch cradling the little girl close. Santana took the seat on the left of Blake and just watched Beth eat and squirm. Brittany sat on the table in front of the couch and couldn't help but wonder how Quinn could leave this little girl.

Rachel sat on the other side of Blake and watched the little girl eat. It was kind of a cool to watch. Rachel couldn't help to gasp as innocent hazel eyes turned to her and looked at her. She couldn't help but stare back at the baby girl in awe. Beth was truly a beautiful baby. She felt so bad for Beth and was angry on her behave. Seriously how could Quinn abandon this little girl, her own baby girl.

Blake finished feeding Beth her bottle and was in the process of burping her when the little girl spit up again all over Blake.

"Fuck that's twice." Blake grumbled.

"Do you not like me or something kid?" Blake asked Beth as she handed her off to Rachel before heading upstairs to change her shirt again.

"I knew I forgot something." Rachel muttered to herself and Beth who babbled back. Brittany quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed another onesie for Beth.

"Thank you." Rachel said shyly getting a soft welcome in return. Santana smirked at the interaction but tease either girl about it. She'd tease Brittany about it later when they were alone.

Rachel once again changed Beth's onesie before cradling the little girl to her chest and gently rocking and softly humming. Rachel slowly seat down on the couch as not to jostle the baby in her arms to much. She continued to rock side to side and hum softly. Beth was slowly falling back to sleep with help of the sound of Rachel's heartbeat and the quiet humming. She was a baby after all it was her kinda her job to sleep, eat, poop, and spit up everywhere. Beth had fallen asleep by the time Blake made it back downstairs.

"Seriously isn't there something that prevents that?" Blake asked once she walked back into the room. Santana and Brittany laughed quietly while Rachel muttered a quiet sorry.

"Yeah it's called a burping rag or spit up towel or even a bib works." Santana answered easily. Rachel turned and stared at Santana in complete shock. She honestly didn't think Santana would have known that.

"What I have younger siblings, so I knows these things." Santana stated with a shrug. Rachel chuckled to herself and added that to short list of things she really knew about the Latina.

She was learning small things about the two cheerleaders just from them being around. It did however seem that ghetto talking Santana was an all time thing. Rachel couldn't help but hope that the two cheerleaders were serious about becoming friends with her and that all of this wasn't some joke or them pulling a prank on her. She didn't think she could handle a prank like this.

"So it's super late and you guys are more than welcome to stay in any of the guest rooms if you want." Rachel stated after letting out a yawn. She and Blake had woken up early that morning to work out and headed out to Columbus to spend the day. She was a little tired.

"Turtle and I are going to sleep in here with Beth since we don't have a crib or anything it'll be safer." Rachel added with a nod in agreement from Blake who was searching through Netflix for something to watch.

"We'll stay here tonight and hang out with you guys." Brittany answered with Santana nodding her head in agreement as she settled on the couch next to Blake. The Latina was trying to convince Blake to watch Jersey Shore.

"We're not watching that trash." Blake stated. Santana placed her hand over her chest in mock offense.

"It is not trash thank you very much." Santana retorted.

"Sorry Santana but I'll have to agree with Turtle on this one. We are not watching that crap. If we wanted to see that we'd go to Jersey and see it firsthand." Rachel added getting a fist pump from Blake and a pout from Santana.

"I'm with Rachel on this one S." Brittany commented.

"Of course you are." Santana retorted with a small smirk of her own. Brittany rolled her eyes in response while Rachel and Blake could only look on in confusion.

The girls all decided to watch Scandal all agreeing that Olivia was hot, and the show was really good. The girls finished an episode or two before all falling asleep sitting on the huge black wrap around couch. Santana resting her head on Blake's shoulder and Rachel's head in Brittany's lap. Beth was sleeping soundly in her cardboard box pillow bed.

Rachel awoke the next morning to the smell of food cooking. The first thing she noticed that she was sleeping with her head in Brittany's lap and that Santana was now laying in the spot Rachel remembered Blake being. Rachel didn't see Beth or her car seat and figured out quickly where the other two were. She wiped her eyes and stood up before stretching out her body and making her way into the kitchen quietly as to not wake the two sleeping cheerleaders. Rachel couldn't believe she had fell asleep on the couch and with her head in Brittany's lap but she had to admit it felt amazing, sleeping next to Brittany that is. She decided to not think much on it at the moment. They had more pressing matters to worry about.

Rachel walked into the kitchen to the scene of Blake dancing and rapping, Outkast - Ms. Jackson, to Beth who sat on the kitchen counter space between the stove and oven. Blake spun around in a circle and sung "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson Oooooooh" at Beth causing the baby to smile and laugh at the funny sound that Blake was making. Rachel started laughing when Blake started doing a little shimmy at the baby girl. Blake nearly jumped out of her skin hearing laughter coming from behind her.

"Fuck Buzz we need to get you a fucking bell or something. You nearly scared the piss out of Beth." Blake stated while pointing at the baby who was looking around for the mystery sound that came from nowhere.

"First language... and second Beth huh..." Rachel stated. Blake rolled her eyes in response before turning around to check on the food.

Rachel chuckled before taking a seat at the kitchen bar that was facing the stove. She knew better then to come near Blake when she was cooking. Sometimes she swore she had the imprint of a wooden spoon or spatula from all the times she was smacked for trying to sneak a taste. Rachel couldn't help it though because Blake surprisingly was an amazing cook, like Top Chef Material. She took her cooking seriously and didn't like people getting in her way and messing with her things.

Blake could cook or grill just about anything whereas Rachel burned water. Seriously Rachel boiled water once and somehow managed to burn a hole into the bottom of the pan. She was sure the fire department knew her address by heart from all the cooking mishaps over the years.

Blake checked on the biscuits she had in the oven before grabbing Beth's car seat, turning around and placing her on the bar. Rachel noticed that Blake seemed to be trying to collect her thoughts. Rachel thought for sure that the older girl would make a comment on the fact that Rachel fell asleep with her head in Brittany's lap.

"Rachel." Blake began to say. Rachel instantly knew that this was going to be a serious conversation.

Blake only used her name when she wanted to talk about something serious and Rachel knew she had to give her friend her complete attention. Blake was rarely serious, always preferring to laugh and make others laugh. Blake always said that she loved hearing people's real laugh. The one they couldn't hold back and it came out full and loud. That gust busting, tears in their eyes, panting for air laugh. She loves seeing the pure happiness on people's face and loves being the one to do that.

Most people just thought she couldn't take anything serious but Rachel knew better. Rachel that Blake just honestly loved making people smile and reminding them how amazing it felt to laugh and that everything didn't need to be so serious all the time. Blake did that for Rachel all of the time. It was one of the many reasons Rachel remained so loyal to Blake and their friendship.

"I want us to keep Beth." Blake stated after taking a deep breath.

Rachel's mouth dropped open in response. She had to admit that she was not expecting that to come out of Blake's mouth at all. She thought for sure that Blake would be all for taking Beth to the police station and letting them deal with her. Blake had never shown any interest in kids or ever even discussed her desire for kids. This was completely out of left field and Rachel didn't know how to respond.

Rachel sat completely speechless for a few minutes just letting the statement soak in and process. Blake wanted them to keep Beth. She wasn't a puppy or a cat they picked up on the side of the road. She wasn't a goldfish that didn't take much work to take care of. Beth was a human child that needed things and from what Rachel knew a lot of things. The little girl needed a home and a family that would love her and could provide for her. Not two teenagers who still sat on the couch in their underwear watching Saturday morning cartoons. Rachel couldn't agree to this she had to do right by Beth.

Rachel was getting ready to state that when Blake held her hand up to stop her.

"Just hear me out for a second Rachel. I know what you are thinking we're still kids ourselves and shouldn't be raising a child. We have our own issues and problems to deal with. Hell, neither of us really know anything about babies or how to take care of them but who does when they have a kid. There are ton of reasons why we should take her to the authorities and let them handle it but..." Blake paused for a second and looked down before looking back up at Rachel and letting her see the seriousness in her eyes.

"Look this Quinn chick left her with you for a reason. She knew that you, out of everyone, would do anything in your power to ensure that Beth had a safe and loving home. She knew that you would do everything in your power to ensure that Beth received the best. We both know how the system is and we both know that it ain't a place for anyone. You know that if we take her to the police she's going to end up in the system. You know just like I do how fucked up the system can be. You have to know that once she's in the system we won't know what's happening with her. She'll be placed in some foster home and god knows what that'll be like. You and I are the best choice for her. We can provide her with the loving home that she needs." Blake explained never breaking eye contact with Rachel.

Rachel sighed and took a deep breath this was lot to take in. Rachel knew what Blake was referring to when she mentioned the foster care system. It was a topic they rarely ever spoke of. But even with all that Beth was still a baby, a human baby with needs. What about the questions people would ask? What about their parents. How would it even work? They themselves are like sisters. How could Blake ask that when she didn't even live in Lima or close to Ohio?

"Are you forgetting that you live in New York or about our parents?" Rachel asked after a few moments.

"What about money for baby proofing the house and the things she will need? Babies aren't cheap Blake. I get what you're saying and I understand but..." Rachel began to add but was Blake cut her off.

"I've already talked to mom, I couldn't sleep much last night and called and she's agreed to let me move to Lima with some rules and to release my inheritance from my grandfather." Blake stated before recounting the phone call with her mom to Rachel.

_(Flashback)_

_Blake awoke a couple hours after falling asleep to a whimpering Beth. She quickly scooped up the little girl and made her way to the kitchen before anyone else woke up. She guessed the little girl could be hungry or just wanted to be held she didn't know. She checked the little girl's diaper first and instantly knew that she needed to be changed. Blake changed Beth before grabbing her pacifier and placing it in the little's girl mouth. Beth instantly quieted down and stopped squirming and happily sucked the pacifier. Blake looked down at the little girl and couldn't help the small smile that spread on her face watching Beth fall back to sleep peacefully. She looked like a little fallen angel. _

_Blake couldn't help but think of what it would be like when Beth took her first steps or said her first words. She couldn't help but imagine what life would be like with Beth and being a parent well a co-parent with Rachel. Blake knew she couldn't do it without Rachel by her side. They were a team like Batman and Robin, Kobe and Shaq, or Woody and Buzz Lightyear. _

_In truth having a child was something Blake had wanted but she had also given up on that thought a long time ago. She was 100% certain she'd never find someone who could accept all of her and would want to be with her physically. In all honesty Blake wasn't even sure if she could have kids. She also knew from personal experience how bad the system could be and she did not want that for Beth. Blake couldn't let Beth become just another case file in the system. She looked down at the sleeping baby and made her choice. Now she needed to call her mom, convince her to let her stay, and then convince Rachel in the morning. _

_Cassandra July was a great mother when she was present and not swamped with her job. Cassie spent a lot of time teaching classes at NYADA, choreographing for different Broadway shows, and her new girlfriend and tended to put her daughters on the sideline. She loved and cared for her daughter greatly but didn't give the curly haired teen the attention the Blake wanted and craved. Not to mention she would forget to call Rachel and missed Skype dates with her. Cassie focused so much on her work that she seemed to check out on Blake and Rachel. _

_Blake placed Beth back in her cardboard box pillow bed and grabbed her phone. She knew it was already 6 in the morning in New York and that her mother would be awake. She found her mom's contact and hit the call button and waited for someone to pick up. _

_(_Blake_, __**Shelby, **__Cassandra__)_

_**"Hello"**_

_"_Ohumm hello Ms. Corcoran is my mom around_"_

_**"Hi Blake and I've told you, you can call me Shelby and yes she is"**_

_"_Can you give her phone please...uhhh...Shelby_"_

_**"See that wasn't so hard now was it and sure thing kiddo"**_

_"_Umm nah and ok and thank you_"_

_**"No problem Blake and here's your mom"**_

_"Hello babygirl"_

"Hi mom I miss you how's New York and Shelby_"_

_"I miss you too and New York is New York and Shelby is good. Now I know if you are calling me this early in the morning something is up. What is it? Do you need more money? Oh god please tell me you don't need to be bailed out of jail."_

"What no mom I'm not in jail... but... I need you to listen and trust me here"

_"OH MY GOD! BLAKE IDINA JULY ARE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL! WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU OK? IS IT RACHEL? IS SHE O.K.?"_

_"_What no I'm not in the hospital and neither is Rachel. Besides wouldn't the hospital have called you themselves if either one of us were in the hospital."

_"__I guess you're right. So not in jail, or the hospital, did you kill someone and need help getting rid of the body because sweetheart..."_

"Mom, seriously, I haven't committed murder I'm with Rachel for Christ sake. I'd be lucky to get away with jaywalking without a lecture and 30 minute PowerPoint presentation on how breaking the law is wrong. I mean she'd totally help me hide the body but it wouldn't be worth the lecture afterwards."

_"That's true so what's going on Peanut"_

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm going to lay it on you straight mom... I'm not coming home in a month. I'm going to stay in Lima with Rachel for the school year and I need you to sign over my trust fund."

_(Blake was extremely grateful that one of her biological grandfather's found her about a year ago and they started to have a relationship. Sadly he passed away a few months later but did leave her an enormous inheritance. It would come in handy if Rachel agreed to keep Beth. It would help make things easier plus Beth was a baby she didn't need much yet.)_

_"What are you talking Blake, staying in Lima; we're not having this discussion again. You and Rachel are always trying to convince us to let you two stay together."_

"You're right mom, we're not discussing anything. I'm telling you I'm staying. I need to be here mom. Rachel needs me now more than ever and I cannot leave... No, I won't leave her."

_"You are not staying in Lima. Your home is here, you are needed here, you're school is here, plus my job is here."_

"Mom...I have to stay in Lima. I'm needed here more then there. You don't need me you have Shelby there and you two need some time with just you two and not worrying about me lurking around. I'm not asking you to live New York because we both know that Rachel and I are just going to end up back there next year for college. I promise to call three times a week and you can come down for holidays but I need to be here."

_"Why should I agree to this or to let you have your trust fund. You aren't suppose to get that until you are 18 and in college. Tell me why I should even agree to this."_

"I don't want to use this card but Mom, I have never asked you to truly consider what I want and trust in me that I know what I'm doing. Not when you spent most of my childhood drunk and in bed crying. Not when you got sober and spent most of your time doing shows or teaching classes. And not when you started seeing Shelby and spent all of your free time with her. I didn't ask for anything when you forgot parent/teacher conferences, or when you forgot to pick me up from martial art classes and I had to take the subway. I have never asked you for much mom but I'm asking you to trust menow and consider that this is something important to me."

_"Blake I..."_

"Mom I know and I don't need any more apologizes. I just need for you to agree and trust me. I need you to give me time to get settled and I'll explain things to you. I asking you to trust that I'm not doing anything illegal or anything stupid that I need the money for something important and I wouldn't ask if it weren't important to me. Besides it's Rachel, mom and you know she's not going to let me do anything stupid or that gets me thrown in jail. The girl makes me recycle. Trust me mom please."

"_But Blake..."_

"Mom I'm not the only one involved in this, Rachel is too. And you know how things have been for her. She's family and she needs me. Your youngest daughter needs her big sister right now more than anything. Think of those big brown doe eyes pleading with you right now. You know you can't say no to Rachel."

_"(Deep breathes)...you call every night at 10 pm my time, I'm allowed to pop in for a visit whenever I feel like it, no parties, you keep your grades up, and you get two months to get settled and then I want to know everything that's going because I know that something is up. Do you understand me. And not cool getting me to picture the doe eyes. You know I can't say no to those."_

"What seriously mom, thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me, thank you thank you thank you. I love you so much. And totally cool because it got you to say yes."

_"I love you too babygirl so much and I really am sorry for how things were. I'll try and do better. I'll have your trust fund made available to you and send you have your card with you already. Don't worry I'll handle all of your school stuff."_

"O.k mom thank you so much again"

_"O.k sweetheart I gotta go I'll text you when I'm finished at the bank and then again when I have your school stuff situated. Give Rachel my love. I love you Blake Idina July and don't you ever forget that. And make sure to tell Rachel the same thing."_

"O.k mom I love you too and don't you ever forget that. I'll tell Rachel and thank you again."

_Blake ended the call and made her way back downstairs and into the living room. She wanted to check on Beth and the others. She wasn't expecting to find Beth laying in her makeshift crib with her eyes open and sucking on her pacifier without a care in the world. Blake checked the clock and saw that she'd been on the phone with her mom for just over an hour. She knew Rachel and the others would be awake soon and decided to cook breakfast. She grabbed the car seat and Beth and made her way to the kitchen._

_(End Flashback)_

Rachel listened as Blake retold the story of the conversation with Cassie July. She closed her eyes and took several deep breathes to clear her thoughts. She couldn't believe that Mama Ju, as Rachel liked to call her, had agreed to let Blake stay in Lima and would be releasing the older girl's trust fund. Well it wasn't that hard to believe because Mama Ju had never been able to say no to Rachel, something about big brown bambi eyes. Rachel knew that Blake was serious about all of this if she had already taken those steps on her own accord. The whole thing was becoming much harder than it was suppose to be.

"Blake we can't, we have to take her in." Rachel stated with little conviction after a few moments of thinking. Taking Beth in to the authorities was the right thing to do right? They couldn't possibly be considering keeping her. Blake knew she had to bring out the big guns in order to get Rachel to see things her way. There was one thing that she could mention that would sway Rachel to her side.

"This is going to sound super selfish but what if this is our only chance at having a kid? What if this is our only shot at having a family? I know we'd be super unconventional and it'd be hard and difficult but if anyone can do it it's us. We're like the wonder twins or something. We can give Beth the loving family and home that she deserves. We'll be the best at answering questions when she's older. We know what it's like to have parents that suck sometimes so we know what not to do. We can learn all the things we need to know as we go along. I mean we figured out how to make her bottle, change her diaper, and her clothes ourselves. Seriously Rachel you know like I know that the chance of a girl wanting to be with us is slim to none and that there is the chance that we can't even have kids. This could be our only shot and I don't wanna lose it. I don't wanna spend my life wondering what if. Just think about it for a second." Blake said really looking at Rachel as she spoke. She wanted to keep Beth and be there for the little girl. Beth hadn't even been there a full day and Blake was already attached to the little girl.

Rachel let her best friend's words seep in. All that she said was true. This could be their only shot but what if they kept Beth and things went terrible and she grew up hating them. But on the other hand what if they took her into the authorities and she grew up in the system and hated them for not keeping her. This was all so confusing to Rachel and she had no idea what to do.

Blake was studying Rachel and she could tell that she was slowly convincing her best friend to go along with the idea. She turned and picked Beth up out of her car seat and turned to the little girl to face Rachel before placing the little girl in Rachel's arm. Beth instantly reached arms up and placed her hand on Rachel's mouth. Rachel pretended to nibble on the little girl's fingers and Beth squealed and babbled in delight before pulling her hand away and repeating her previous actions and getting the same results.

Blake knew it was a dirty move to bring the baby girl into this but she was determined to get Rachel to see her point and agree. She knew there was no way Rachel could disagree if she was holding the little girl in her arms. Now to go in for the kill.

"Just look at her Buzz and tell me you can't imagine her first time crawling, first time walking, or her first words. Tell me that you can't imagine yourself being there for her first day of school and teaching her how to ride a bike or throw a punch. Better yet look her in the eyes and tell her you that can't keep her and that you don't think she'd be in good hands here with us. She deserves a loving and caring family who will do anything and everything for her. You know like I know that we can do that and so much more for her. Come on Buzz. Really think about it." Blake pointed out.

Rachel wanted to be upset that Blake was using Beth to convince her but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't working. She could imagine all of those things and couldn't help but smile at all the images that came to mind. She could totally see her and Blake with a little Beth going to the park and playing at the house. She could see them watching Beth as she grows up and learns new things. Rachel could imagine first days of school and celebrating Chrismakkuh and birthdays. Rachel was brought out of her thoughts as Beth placed her hands in her mouth once again. Rachel once again pretended to nibbled on the little girl's finger which caused Beth to laugh and squeal and Rachel felt her heart soar at the sound of the happy and blissful baby.

"Turtle she's not a puppy or a goldfish. She's a child that's going to need care daily, we are just about to start our senior year plus we don't even have anything that a baby should have here." Rachel stated after a few moments as she looked up at her best friend.

"We have a month before school starts, so we'll both be here daily, then we hire a nanny for during school hours. I'll come home while you do your glee thing because you can't give up singing, and then you'll be home. As for the baby stuff that's easy we use Google to find out what we'll need and then go to the store today and pick up the things we need and if they don't have it in stock we order it online and express mail it." Blake replied back quickly.

"What about basketball and how do you suppose we pay for all the things we need and a nanny really?" Rachel asked. Rachel wanted to have all of the basic plans covered and know that Blake fully understood all that it would take to take care of a baby before she made her decision.

"First, I don't need basketball to go to cooking school and if I want to I can play it anywhere, whereas you need Glee for you music career. Secondly I've already said my mom has released my trust fund, so money isn't an issue, and lastly yes a nanny until she's old enough for daycare if we're comfortable with that but we have time to really decide." Blake answered with ease. Blake knew what Rachel was doing but she's had all morning to really think all of this through. Blake also knew that she couldn't have come to Rachel without a plan of action first.

"Blake that money is yours and suppose to be for school." Rachel replied back. She was the responsible one and didn't want Blake using that money for anything but it's purpose.

"Correction the money is mine to do what I want with it and I want to do this. I can go get a culinary degree anywhere for practically nothing. I could get a baby anywhere for practically nothing also but that's called kidnapping and it's illegal. Remember Buzz." Blake replied with a smirk. Rachel cracked a smile at that last comment.

"And that's setting a bad example for Beth." Blake added after a few moments getting an eye roll in response.

Blake knew she was winning and she had Rachel on the ropes now for the knockout blow. Blake grabbed Beth out of Rachel's arms and held her in front of her face.

"Please Rachie don't send me away. I'm so cute and lovable and you must keep me pleaseeee." Blake stated in a high pitch voice as if it were Beth speaking the words.

"You are not playing fair right now." Rachel retorted as she pointed a finger at Blake. Beth reached out and grabbed a hold of Rachel's finger and smiled up at Rachel before making baby sounds. It was like Beth was agreeing with Blake and wanted to stay.

Rachel sighed and let her head drop onto the bar. Blake had obviously been thinking harder on this then she had originally thought. She wasn't prepared for this discussion this early in morning. Especially not with the smell of the amazing food that Blake had cooked and said cute adorable baby right in front of her. Blake was playing the game like a pro and easily winning.

Blake knew she had just basically won. She saw the resolve crumble in Rachel's eyes when Beth held onto her finger. Blake twirled Beth around and begun doing a victory dance around the bar. She knew they could do this and it would be awesome. She never thought she'd have a family of her own and especially not one that was literally left on her doorstep. She'd do anything to protect her little family because that's what they were now a family.

Rachel knew that Blake was doing her super dorky victory dance. She honestly had never seen her best friend/sister so determined and serious about something. The fact that Blake seemed to have everything thought out and somewhat planned is what convinced her. Not to mention Beth is just too damn adorable. The little girl already had Rachel wrapped around her little finger. They could totally do this right...maybe...she really hoped.

"You do know that it's going to be a lot of hard work right? I'm talking like little to no sleep, always tired, and no time for all the crazy things we use to do," Rachel stated turning her head to face Blake and Beth who were dancing around like a ballroom couple doing the waltz.

"Yep," Blake responded popping the p on the end.

"She's probably going to spit up on your shirts." Rachel added.

"I can put them in the washer it's not the end of the world," Blake replied with a huge grin on face. She just knew that she had won this argument and that Rachel was grasping at straws now.

"We don't know how to take care of a baby." Rachel stated weakly trying to hold on the last shred of argument. She didn't know why she was so against this if she were honest with herself.

"So we do what any new parents do we learn. They have books and magazines and websites with tons of information and shit on them on how to take care of a baby. And if push comes to shove than we ask for help. It's that really simply." Blake replied.

It was at the moment that the other two girls in the house decided to make their presence known. They awoken by the sound of Beth laughing and squealing and the smell of amazing food cooking in the kitchen. They shared a look before deciding to go and investigate. They heard Rachel and Blake's voices in what sounded like a serious conversation and decided to ease drop on the conversation. They hadn't the whole conversation but knew that Blake was trying to convince Rachel to keep Beth. Brittany and Santana shared a look and knew that they both agreed with the curly haired girl. The two cheerleaders knew what they had to do and were determined more than ever to do whatever they had to to earn the trust of Rachel and Blake.

"Lucky for you, you know me." Santana spoke up from the doorway surprising the two girls inside of the kitchen. Rachel quickly turned around in her seat to face the two cheerleaders. Blake however jumped nearly ten feet in the air before spinning around to face the other two girls. She was grateful that she had placed Beth back in her car seat.

"I swear we're making a rule that y'all are required to wear fucking bells around the house. Beth doesn't like being frightened," Blake stated. All of the other girls said "Langauge." before laughing.

"What Santana is saying is that we are going to help you if you decide to keep her," Brittany explained as she took a seat next to Rachel.

"We both have experience with kids so we'd be huge help." Brittany added a few moments later before whispering good morning to Rachel who mumbled it back and smiled in return.

"That's what I said," Santana piped as she made her way over to the oven. She reached out to open the oven and get a peak at what was inside of it. Blake smacked her hand lightly with a spatula and pointed it at her face.

"Don't touch my over. And come on Buzz just say yes." Blake stated as she turned to point the spatula at Rachel who was laughing at the look on Santana's face. The brunette cheerleader was standing with her mouth open in shock that Blake had hit her with a spatula.

"Come on Rachie let me stay pleaseeeeeeee." Blake stated in her high pitch voice after she had picked Beth up and held her in front of Rachel's face.

"Yeah Rachie let her stay pleaseeeeee," Brittany copied with her infamous pout. That pout seriously had magic powers and could get Brittany anything. Seriously she used it once at the mall and got away with walking out of a clothing store without paying. Magic I'm telling you.

"You guys can't be serious." Rachel stated as dropped her head on the counter once again. She knew that she couldn't look at Beth or Brittany without caving. This was all insane and had to be a dream seriously.

"This is a dream. It has to be because there is no way that you Blake want a baby especially a baby at seventeen, and there is absolutely no way that Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce are in my kitchen offering to help take care of said baby." Rachel stated before yelping in pain. Blake had slapped her upside the head.

"Nope this is real life," Blake said as she tried not to burst out laughing. Rachel grumbled something back that sounded like fucking asshole.

"Language," Blake chastised before sticking her tongue out at Rachel.

"And we are so serious Berry. Look lets gets real for a minute. Babies are hard and they tire you out and need a lot of shit. So the more helping hands the merrier right. It takes a village to raise a kid and all that shit. We weren't there for Q when she needed us but we can be for Beth. To put it simply you ain't getting rid of us. Besides it would make Brittany happy and you can't make Brittany sad because no one make Britts' sad." Santana stated with a nod and point in Brittany's direction who was still pouting.

"We aren't even friends really so why would you guys even help me," Rachel stated as she turned her head to face Santana. She was hungry and being ganged up on and losing and she didn't like to lose.

"We are friends just not very close friends which will change. San and I meant what we said last night that we want to be your friends. Plus us helping out and being there for you, Blake, and Beth will help prove that we are for real about being friends and all that. Beth does deserve to be with amazing people who know her and she knows already and who will love her and take care of her and we could be those people. We want to be those people." Brittany replied. Rachel closed her eyes and turned her head in Brittany's direction.

"You do know that this is going too hard like extremely hard this isn't like a pet plus you guys have the Cheerios and glee club." Rachel began to ramble out but was stopped by the feel of Brittany holding her hand. Brittany smiled and waited until Rachel opened her eyes again.

"Rachel, you are one of the strongest, smartest, most caring people I know. You'd be one of the best role models that Beth would/could ever wish for. She would grow up feeling loved and cared for because she'd have us. And I do mean all four of us. We can do this. I know that Santana and I aren't the ideal people to help out but we're what you're getting so come on. Plus Cheerios mostly meet in the morning for practices and for the rare after school practices you or Blake will be here and I heard something about a nanny." Brittany finished her speech and once again began to pout.

Rachel groaned and knew she had truly lost this argument. She had been counting on Brittany and Santana, or at least Santana, to disagree with Blake and want Beth taken to the authorities. She never expected them to agree and even offer their help. This was seriously turning into the fucking Twilight Zone.

Rachel had to wonder why she was so against this. What was really keeping her from saying yes and keeping Beth? That was a simple answer; her fathers and Mama Ju. She feared she'd end up like them and Beth would resent her the same way she felt about them sometimes. Her fathers were great when she was younger and then their business starting taking off and by Rachel's freshmen year of high school they were almost always gone on business trips. The time they spent away only seemed to increase the older she became. Along with that time away came the no communication between daughter and fathers. Sometimes they wouldn't call for months at a time and not answer emails or Skype calls. And Mama Ju was the same way it seemed. She remembered to call more often but would get so wrapped up in work that she missed Skype dates and phone calls.

Rachel knew what she wanted out of life. She knew that if everything went as planned that she'd end up on Broadway and that would take up a lot of her time. She didn't want to turn into her fathers' and let work control everything. She never wanted Beth to feel the way that she and Blake did.

Rachel looked at Beth and watched as she was being held by Brittany and laughing at Santana who was making different funny faces at her. The vision in front of her tugged on the strings of her heart. She was getting a glimpse of the real Santana and Brittany and she couldn't deny that she loved it. This could be her family if she'd just say yes. These people would be her family and she couldn't deny wanting it. It was all too surreal but she had to admit that if this were a dream she didn't want to wake up. She wanted to find out how it all ended.

Rachel went from having one best friend to one best friend, two new/old friends, and a baby in one day. It was like that movie with guy who finds out he has a daughter and his friends help him raise her. She couldn't think of the name but seriously shit like this only happens in movies right.

Rachel then looked over to Blake who was easily moving around the kitchen plating food for everyone to eat and making Beth a bottle. It was like a routine was already being set in place. They were all adapting to what Beth needed already. Rachel dropped her head back on the counter and mumbled something.

"Wait, what did you say?" Blake asked having heard the mumbling but not understanding it. Rachel took a deep breath before looking up and locking eyes with Blake.

"I said you are on diaper duty for a month, you have to cook more vegan friendly meals, you have to go to 18 Broadway shows with me, that's one every year until Beth is an adult, you have to go get baby supplies." Rachel began listing off her demands. She could not believe that she was agreeing to this.

**A/N: **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: To the reviewer who asked if I could write down the changes that are made. Honestly that is a yes and no answer. Some of the changes are just added dialogue or change in who says what during the dialogue. I can alert you of any big changes say if I added a scene or I added a completely new chapter. The biggest change honestly is that some of the chapters are being added together to make them longer and to flow better in my opinion. But I will try to not the changes. What I'm thinking about doing is once I've finished the new version reposting the old version so that you the readers can see the changes for yourself. I don't know let me know if you guys would like that or not.**

**In this chapter I added a flashback between Blake and Rachel. I also extended the conversation between Brittany and Rachel. There's added dialogue as well.**

**Chapter 4**

"WOOOOOOHOOOOO!" Blake shouted kicking her heels up in the air before doing her victory dance not even caring that Brittany and Santana were in the room.

"You hear that Mini B you get to stay." Blake sang to the baby as she took her from Brittany and began twirling around with the little girl. Beth could only squeal and laugh in delight of the spinning sensation. It tickled her tummy and she loved it.

Rachel couldn't help but smile she'd honestly only ever seen her best friend this happy like twice in their entire life. She also had to admit that she was pleased with her decision. She knew that even though they were kids and still in school that they could give Beth a great life. Rachel knew that they would be supportive, caring, and loving parents. And with the help of Brittany and Santana, who both have experience with babies and kids, they couldn't go wrong. Rachel grabbed Beth out of Blake's arms and began dancing around with the little girl as well. Yeah they could totally do this.

Brittany couldn't help but smile and swoon at the site in front of her. She absolutely loved seeing Rachel smiling so much and letting loose. The blonde cheerleader could count on one hand the number of times she's seen Rachel truly smile and just be happy and Brittany cherished every single one of them. She vowed in that moment to try and keep that smile on Rachel's face. She didn't even know Blake but knew that she wanted to see her smiling just as much as well. Brittany just had this feeling that it wasn't a common occurrence for either girl.

Santana watched the two best friends dance and laugh and she couldn't help but be drawn to Blake. Santana knew that she'd do anything to always put that smile on Blake's face. It scared her that she felt so strongly for Blake already but she wouldn't get worked up about it just yet. She'd just enjoy the moment and talk with Britt about her feelings later. Santana could see how much this meant to Blake and Rachel and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone mess this up. She vowed to protect all of her girls, which now included Beth, Rachel, and Blake, at all cost.

"Mini B, really, she's already got a nickname?" Rachel asked as she began to tire out and placed Beth back into her car seat. The baby babbled on in excitement as she watched the big people move around.

"Yea I see it like this I'm Blake, Big B obliviously, you're Buzz so Little B for your height of course, and she's Beth so Mini B because she's the smallest. Although, that'll probably change by the time she's 4 and then you'll become Mini B," Blake replied seriously. Rachel pouted before punching Blake in the arm.

"No need for violence Buzz we don't want to teach Beth bad habits." Blake retorted with a pout of her own while rubbing her arm. Rachel may be small but she could pack a punch. Brittany and Santana couldn't help but laugh at Blake's joke on Rachel's height.

"She won't be taller than me at 4 ya ass." Rachel retorted before sticking her tongue out at Blake.

"Oh you're right she'll totally pass you up before she's even 3, you are a tiny one." Blake retorted back before jumping away from the bar as Rachel tried to punch her again.

"Matrix, hell yeah that's a dollar." Blake stated as she fist pumped, "Today is going to be so awesome like seriously what could mess up this awesome day. I'll tell you what nothing."

"You're not getting that dollar and today will be twenty times better when I get food in my belly. Let's eat I'm starving." Rachel stated as her stomach grumbled. Rachel grabbed Beth's car seat and brought it over to the table before going back and grabbing the little girl's bottle.

"Why did she shout Matrix and why do you owe her a dollar." Brittany asked as she took a seat next to Rachel and held Beth's bottle.

"It's a little game that we play. If someone goes to slap at you and you dodge the hit then you say Matrix and they owe you a dollar. If you dodge it but don't say Matrix then you don't get a dollar. If you try and dodge it but you still get hit then you owe that person a dollar." Rachel explained.

"We don't actually keep track of how much we owe each other but it's still fun to play." Blake added as she and Santana finished filling the plates with food and bringing them over to the table.

Rachel burped Beth once she finished her bottle and sat the little girl back in her car seat with her pacifier in her mouth. She rocked the car seat with one hand while she ate her food with the other. Santana and Brittany couldn't help but moan as their taste buds exploded. Blake had prepared a simple omelet (vegan substitute for Rachel of course), biscuits and gravy from scratch which just so happened to be one of Rachel's favorite breakfast foods, and cut up fruit. Santana and Brittany would swear that it was a meal prepared by the gods because it tasted so good.

Both Rachel and Blake started squirming in their seats listening to the sounds the other two girls were making while they ate. Being around the other two girls made them feel normal and comfortable and they had totally forgotten about the secret they both had hidden in their pants until that moment. This was going to be so much harder than they thought. They would have to be extremely careful when the two cheerleaders were around that was for sure.

Rachel finished her food first and grabbed Beth from her car seat and took the now sleeping little girl into the living room so that she could sleep in her makeshift crib. Surprisingly Santana kicked Blake out of the kitchen and began to clean the table and rinse the dishes out before placing them in the dishwasher once everyone had finished.

"If you can make my mouth orgasm like that you shouldn't have to clean too." Santana stated as her reason for doing the cleaning. Blake had to leave the room quickly after that comment mumbling something about Latinas and kryptonite.

Rachel sat on the couch and couldn't help but think that her life had turned into one giant insane and almost unbelievable dream. I mean her best friend in the whole wide world who is basically her sister is going to be living with her in Lima for the school year, Santana Lopez was currently in her kitchen doing dishes, Brittany Pierce was standing and looking through their DVD and gaming collection, and the daughter of two of her tormentors/teammates is basically becoming like her daughter. It honestly sounded like the makings of a movie. If someone would have told her freshmen year that in three years this would be her life she would have sat them down for a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation on how hard drugs were bad for them and that they needed to seek professional help immediately. She probably would have them committed to a mental health institute as well. She couldn't help but smile and let out a little laugh at that thought. Rachel also had to admit that she was happy with the way things were turning out. If this was what her life was becoming then she'd make the absolute best of it.

Rachel got up off the couch and made her way upstairs before coming back down with her laptop, pen, and paper in her hands. If they were going to do this then they needed to make the list of things that Beth would need. Rachel plopped down on the couch next to Blake who gave her a questioning look.

"We need to make that list." Rachel stated simply getting a nod from Blake in return.

Brittany had finally found a movie and put it on before taking a seat next to Rachel. Santana walked into the living room after cleaning and sat on the couch next to Blake.

"Alright so we need the basics; crib, bottles, formula, diapers, more clothes." Rachel began to list getting nods from the other girls.

"We should get a giant remote controlled car so that we can strap her car seat to it and drive her around." Blake stated getting a nod from Rachel who wrote that on the list.

"Dude we should get one of the seat things that helps the baby sit up and a rover or whatever that little self moving vacuum cleaner is called like we saw in that YouTube video." Rachel added getting a nod and laugh from Blake. Santana and Brittany could only sit and watch in complete horror as the best friends continued to list things of that nature. At a few moments Brittany reached over and grabbed the notebook and pen from Rachel.

"Well that's enough of that. We'll just finish this list ourselves." Brittany stated as she shook her head and getting a nod from Santana in agreement.

"Right you two just sit there and look pretty while the brains of this operation work their magic." Santana added.

"You think we're pretty?" Rachel asked as she and Blake batted their eyelashes at Santana. Brittany and Santana shared a look before rolling their eyes and laughing quietly.

The two cheerleaders finished the list of items they knew they would need while ignoring all of the ridiculous suggestions from Rachel and Blake. Once the two girls realized that the cheerleaders weren't taking their suggestions anymore they went upstairs to decide which room they would give Beth. They figured they would get that sorted out while they waited for Cassie to text Blake about her trust fund. It wasn't like Rachel and Blake didn't have the money to get things now they'd just prefer to have the cushion that Blake's trust gave them. Their parents gave them a hefty allowance each month and the girls rarely ever blew through it but it was always good to have that extra cushion for emergencies and what not.

Rachel and Blake were back downstairs by the time Cassie texted Blake to let her know that her trust fund had been released and that she had full access to it.

"Alright so I need the list so I can go get everything." Blake stated once she got the text.

"No offense but I don't trust you to get only what's on the list." said Brittany as she looked over at the curly haired girl.

"What? I can't possible fuck up this list." Blake retorted with mock offense.

"We know you'll get what's on the list. We're worried about all the extra stuff you'll get." Santana commented getting a nod from Brittany.

"Well I'll go with her and you two can stay with Beth since you have the most experience." Rachel stated as she stood up off the couch getting a nod in agreement from Blake.

"Yeah... no... that ain't happening. God only knows what you two will come back with." Santana countered with shudder at the thought of all the things the other two girls would buy.

"I agree with San. So how about Rae and I stay here with Beth and Blake and Santana will go to the store. Besides Santana has an SUV and it'll be able to hold all of the stuff on that list better than Rachel's Prius." Brittany suggested. Rachel and Blake couldn't argue with that knowledge.

"Sounds like a plan." Santana stated with a nod of her head. She had no problem going to the store with Blake to make purchases.

"I don't have a problem with that. What about you Turtle?" Rachel asked. Rachel was pleased that Brittany suggested that they both stay at the house together. She'd wouldn't admit it out loud but she was excited to spend some alone time with the blonde dancer.

"Nope, lemme go grab my wallet, keys, and shoes from my room." Blake replied before running upstairs to grab said items. Blake knew that Rachel was fist pumping on the inside. She had no problem giving her little sister some alone with the chick she's been pinning after every since she moved to Lima. Blake remembers that first phone call after Rachel's first day of school.

_(Flashback to the night of Rachel's first day of freshmen year)_

_Blake walked into her room and flopped down on her bed. She had been at the park playing ball all day before coming home to shower and eat. It was getting late and she knew that Rachel would be calling at any moment to tell her about her first day at her new school. As Blake got up to grab her laptop her phone lit up and begun ringing alerting her that she had a call. She instantly knew by the ringtone that it was Rachel._

_(__Blake_/**Rachel**)

"_Yo what's up Buzz"_

"**Dude, I met my future wife today and..."**

"_Hey Turtle I'm doing good and how are you today."_

"**-loud sigh- Yeah... yeah... yeah... anyways like I was saying I totally met my future wife today and she's a fucking goddess. I mean I swear there isn't another human being alive that is as beautiful as this girl fuck man. I need this girl in my life. I swear Turtle if you'd have seen her you'd have fallen in love with her. She's..."**

"_Whoa... Buzz... slow down dude you're talking way too fast. So slow it down and tell me about this fucking goddess as you call her."_

"**Alright well she's kind of tall but you know I don't have a problem with that. She has blonde hair that is as bright as the sun. She has blue eyes that I swear are bluer than the Caspian Sea. Like I swear I could drown in those eyes and not even care that there is a life raft right next to me. Turtle I swear I've never seen eyes bluer than hers. She has the body of a dancer. God dude I had to run to the bathroom and think about our old science teach Mr. Albertson to keep from blowing my load in school. She's on the cheerleading squad and they have to wear their uniforms during school. Fuck those long as legs. Man I swear her legs went on for days. What I wouldn't do to have them wrapped around me. And she's a cheerleader so you know she's flexible as fuck. Dude I swear I'm going to marry this girl one day."**

"_-chuckling- So what's the name of my future sister in law and remember don't make a mistake and cover your snake."_

"**What and dude come on"**

"_What's the name of your goddess and you know I'm right. Mom has had that talk with us a thousand times." _

"**Yeah mom has but that doesn't mean you have to make such crude statements fuck. It's not like I'm going to jump right into bed with her. And her name is umm... her name is..."**

"_Are you fucking serious dude, you didn't even get a name?" _

"**Fuck you asshole I couldn't even think straight when she was around. I was too busy staring at her legs in those short ass skirts. Like seriously I want to thank whoever decided that cheerleading skirts needed to be shorter. That person deserves a fucking Nobel prize or something."**

"_Dude you suck. You're sitting over there drooling over this girl and you don't even know her name."_

"**-eye roll-Fuck what part of sexy ass goddess cheerleader with long ass legs don't you understand. I was distracted o.k."**

"_-Laughing- Alright well Casanova you should try and learn the name of your future baby mama tomorrow so we both know who she is. We'll need to come up with a game plan on how you'll get your girl later. Tell me about the rest of you day; classes, other students, the teachers, possible clubs, and such."_

_Rachel only gave Blake a simple answer of fine before turning the conversation back to the blonde cheerleader goddess who had legs for days. Blake could only sit and roll her eyes at her little sister's infatuation with the blonde cheerleader. After that first conversation Brittany was mentioned in almost every phone or Skype call. _

_(End Flashback)_

It was safe to say that Rachel has been in love with Brittany for the longest of time and Blake was willing to do anything it took to give Rachel a shot at getting her girl.

As Blake ran upstairs to search for her shoes and wallet the doorbell sounded throughout the house. The loud sound caused Beth to whimper and squirm but she didn't wake up which the girls were very thankfully for. Beth got extremely grumpy if her nap was interrupted. Rachel quickly made her way to the door before whoever it was rang the bell again. She had absolutely no idea who was on the other side of the door but knew she had to get rid of them quickly. To be honest she wasn't up for anymore surprise visits anytime soon.

Rachel also didn't want to have to try and explain why there was a 3 month old baby sleeping in a cardboard box on her couch. All four girls had agreed that the fewer people who knew about Beth the less likely there would be a chance of Beth being taken from them. They were 17 year old kids still in high school after all. They still had to come up with a solid plan and story to tell anyone if questions were asked. Right now their only plan was protecting and caring for Beth at all cost.

Rachel opened the front door and groaned at who was on the other side. She honestly didn't think she'd have to deal with Finn Hudson until school started back. Rachel couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Blake just had to challenge the universe with her little what could ruin today comment. Finn stood in front of Rachel with a drooping flower in his hand that she could have sworn came from her neighbor's yard and a dopey smile on his face.

Finn was probably the worst boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. He had his moments where he was a great guy and cared for others but most of the time he was a giant man-child who thought the world revolved around him. He believed that everything should go his way and everyone should just agree and do what he says. It didn't help that several teachers at school including Mr. Schue, the glee director, thought Finn was perfect. Finn used that All-American Boy image to get away with any and everything. It was like he could never do wrong and if he did then there was a valid reason no matter what it was or it was someone else's fault. Rachel had made a show of chasing after him and even dated him for a few months to blend in. She was still paying for that mistake and honestly regretted getting involved with the boy.

"Hey Rach, I've been trying to get a hold of you all summer but you didn't answer any of my calls or text messages." Finn stated with what he considered his charming smile. Rachel rolled her eyes because Finn had texted her once the entire summer.

"Umm hey, what do you want Finn?" Rachel asked in a bored tone.

Rachel really didn't want to talk or see him right now. Honestly Rachel had decided to avoid the boy as much as possible this upcoming school year. There was no need to pretend to be in love him with only a year left in school. By next year she would be in New York and he would be well where ever he was going to be. Not to mention talking to him at time was just plain exhausting and she would be focusing all that energy elsewhere. Most likely on a leggy blue eyed blonde goddess who is currently inside of her house. Rachel had to shake her head so that she could focus on what Finn was saying instead of where her thoughts were heading.

"Oh yeah well I'm here to take you back. I know I lost Nationals for us last year but you were giving me that look, I know you wrote that song for me, and plus you didn't have to like me kiss back. And I know that I lied about sleeping with Santana but we weren't together at the time so you can't still be mad about that. Oh and I know that I cheated on you a couple of times with a few Cheerios' but if you had just given it up then I wouldn't have had to go get it somewhere else. If you think about it really I did you a favor by cheating because then I wasn't pressuring you for things you weren't ready for. Anyway I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you for being unrations and breaking up with me and I'll take you back now." Finn finished speaking and shoved the droopy flower towards Rachel.

Rachel stood in the doorway of her house with her mouth open and completely flabbergasted. She knew that Finn wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he seriously couldn't be that dumb. She had heard some crazy shit come from his mouth before but this one took the cake. He was willing to give her another chance and take her back like she was some charity case or something. Not to mention the excuses for his fuck ups were out of this world. Rachel couldn't help but think that she was being punked at the moment.

Rachel was about to respond but Santana who had heard voices and came to investigate beat her to it.

"Lumps the Clown what are you doing here?" Santana asked with a scowl on her face. If there was one person that Santana absolutely despised in Lima it was one, Finn Hudson. She never fell for the sweet good ol' boy bullshit he feed others. After the way her treated Quinn, Rachel, and Santana herself she used every opportunity to openly mock the boy.

"What are you doing here Santana?" Finn asked before looking at Rachel. Rachel rubbed her temple as she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Why is she here, she doesn't even like you, and took my virginity. You can't be hanging out with her. She's only here to pull a prank on you. You can't be that stupid to believe anyone would actually want to hang out with you without it being a prank. Well besides me of course." He ranted at Rachel. Rachel took a deep breath to try and calm down before she attacked Finn. Did the boy not even realize that he'd basically just insulted Rachel?

"First it is irrational not unration. Unration isn't even a word. Secondly I'm going to ignore the bullshit excuses you just through at me because we are never getting back together. And lastly Santana and I have come to an understanding and are friends." Rachel replied simply looking over at Santana who had stepped up next to her and nodded.

"Yeah right Rach like anyone besides me would want to be friends with you. I'm telling you that it's probably just a prank set up by the Cheerios. Satan doesn't know how to have friends. So make her leave before she hurts you and we can hang out. Plus I know you like me so you don't need to play hard to get." Finn stated while attempting to look charming and play the caring friend role. Rachel clenched her fists together as she heard Santana growl beside her.

"Finn not that it's any of your business but this isn't a prank. Santana and I are friends now. And right now we, as in Santana and I, have plans so if you could just leave that'd be great." Rachel stated flatly as she began walking back into the house and dragging Santana with her.

"What... no... I'm not going anywhere until you make her leave. Once she's gone than we can talk about how I forgive you and how we're getting back together in private. This is our year to get it right. You said it in that song you wrote last year." Finn stated while grabbing a hold of Rachel's wrist to keep her from walking away.

"She told you to leave Finnocence." snapped Santana as she pulled her arm from Rachel's grasp. Once her arm was free she shoved Finn away from Rachel causing the taller boy to release the hold he had on Rachel's arm and stumble back down the steps.

Santana meant what she said about being friends with Rachel and she was protective of her friends. Not to mention Finn was a giant compared to Rachel's small stature. Not that Santana herself could talk she was barely two inches taller than Rachel. Rachel could only stand in shock as she watched Santana jump to defend her. Finn's face began to redden as he flushed with anger from being shoved down the steps and almost falling.

"Don't you dare touch me slut." Finn shouted at Santana before trying to shove her back. Before he could even lay a hand on Santana, he felt something grab his arm and pull it behind his back before a sharp pain started in his knee and it buckled. He landed heavily on his knee as his arm was shoved up the middle of his back. Finn tried to squirm out the tight hold he was in but whoever had his arm pulled on it more. The stretch hurt like a bitch and felt like his shoulder was about to pop out of the socket.

Blake had finally made her way back downstairs when she heard voices coming from the front door. As she made her way she saw a giant weird looking guy grab a hold of Rachel's arm before Santana said something and shoved said guy away. The boy looked like he was about to lunge at Santana but Blake's body was already in motion. She had managed to slip by Santana and Rachel and grab one of the boy's outstretched hands, spin and kick one of his knees dropping him to the ground for better leverage before pulling his arm up the middle of his back just like she had been taught in her martial arts training. Blake is extremely protective and no one was ever going to hurt her family and as of right now that included Brittany and Santana.

"Let me go bitch or," Finn started to sneer out but stopped to let out a yelp of pain as Blake pulled on his arm even more. Rachel knew that the boy had to be in a lot of pain in this position. She knew the amount of pressure Blake was putting on Finn's wrist and shoulder. It wasn't enough to cause a break but Finn would definitely be sore later today and tomorrow.

"Blake." Rachel called out. She didn't want her best friend to hurt the boy and the cops be called. That was the last thing they needed to happen right now.

"Look I don't know who you are but I do know that you weren't invited here. So you are trespassing and an intruder. If you don't want me to snap your arm and wrist then when I let go you are going to get up and you are going to leave if not then I'll be forced to take more severe actions." Blake stated with a firm tone that left no room for argument as she applied a little more pressure to get her point across.

"Alright just let me go you stupid bitch." Finn grunted out. Blake rolled her eyes and applied more pressure to Finn's wrist which caused the boy to yell out in pain once more.

"Blake Idina." Rachel stated sternly sending her friend a look to let her know that she needed to let Finn go right now. Blake held for a few seconds longer and then released the boy.

Finn pulled his arm in front of him and rubbed his wrist. He really wanted to punch the mystery girl in the face but thought better of it for now. Rachel stepped in front of Blake and Santana.

"You need to leave now Finn. I won't tell you again." Rachel stated firmly.

"Next time you touch me I'll kick your ass. And this isn't over Rach, we belong together and you'll come to your census soon." Finn stated before turning and walking off holding his arm.

"I'd like to see you try big guy." Blake retorted with an eye roll.

"It is senses not census, dumbass." Santana corrected before turning to Rachel and grabbing her arm inspecting it for any kind of bruising or swelling.

"You alright, Tiny, he didn't hurt you did he?" Santana asked. Rachel couldn't help but smile and nod at Santana. She had only seen this caring side of Santana when it came to Brittany. Having that side directed at her made her believe that Santana really did want to be friends and be there for her.

"So who the fuck was that and are you both alright," Blake asked after turning to face the girls once she made sure Finn left.

"Finn and yeah we're good." Rachel answered with a nod of agreement from Santana.

"So that's mailman?" Blake asked and received a nod from Rachel and a confused look from Santana.

"Come on my spicy tamale...uh not mine but yeah just come on. And you back inside and don't open the door to anymore giants. I know you can handle yourself because I helped teach you but I don't think the house insurance covers the damage done by mythical creatures." Blake stated turning and walking quickly to Santana's Cadillac SUV and climbing in.

Rachel turned and gapped at Santana who had let out a giggle and had a faint blush on her face. Rachel couldn't believe that she had just witnessed the Santana Lopez giggle like a school girl and blush or Blake act so weird. She watched as Santana made her way to the SUV and climb in before pulling out of the driveway and down the road. Rachel could only think that this had to be a crazy dream as she was drug backwards into the house by a laughing Brittany who popped up out of nowhere.

Brittany guided Rachel back into the living room and pulled Rachel to the couch and pushed her down onto it. Brittany giggled as Rachel shook her head and had that adorable look of confusion on her face. Brittany couldn't help but think that Rachel was beyond adorable sometimes. She was so tiny and Brittany honestly just wanted to keep Rachel in her pocket so she could always have Rachel with her.

Rachel finally came out of her shock and was confused. When did she get to her living room and on the couch? Maybe she was losing her mind or this was a dream. She heard a soft giggle come from beside her and saw Brittany sitting next her. O.k. so she's not losing her mind like had she thought. Rachel shook her head once again to clear her thoughts.

"So huh you wanna watch Netflix or play Xbox or something while we wait since Beth is sleeping...unless that's lame but video games are fun... or I can give you a tour of the house. I just need to stay busy when I'm nervous. Keeping busy helps me relax. And yeah I'mma shut up now because right, shutting up now." Rachel rambled out after a few moments.

Why was she nervous it's just Brittany? But then again she has been crushing on the girl forever. No, they were trying to be friends and that's it. But it was being friends with Brittany and that was a big deal. How does one just be friends with the girl you have been dreaming about for almost four years now? Well she did say she wanted to get to know Rachel so maybe just being herself would work. She was pretty fucking cool if she said so herself.

"Can we watch Finding Nemo it's my favorite; I tried to get San to go with me so we could help find him but she said it was far away but like we could've drove or whatever." Brittany answered back. Brittany was just as nervous as Rachel it would seem. Brittany always reverted back to the facade she hid behind at school when she was super nervous.

And being alone with Rachel made her super nervous. She has had a crush on the tiny singer every since freshmen year when she heard Rachel singing in the auditorium during lunch one day. Brittany had known who Rachel was prior to that day. Everyone knew who Rachel was because she was always targeted for slushies. But that day Brittany had heard Rachel sing for the first and then later that day Rachel had offered her a pen and then helped Brittany with her science work, even though Brittany didn't need the help. Brittany couldn't help but get lost in those big brown doe eyes and fall for Rachel's caring nature.

"Why do you do that?" Rachel asked before slapping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes got wide and she honestly wanted to climb in a hole. She hadn't meant for that to come out at all. It was something she always wondered about but never had the guts to ask in fear of Santana's wrath.

"Do what?" Brittany asked trying to act innocent. Rachel just shook her head and mumbled, "Never mind." before turning back to the TV.

"No tell me," Brittany pleaded, "Please." she added after a few moments slipping on her pout for good measure. Rachel turned to look at Brittany and gauge the other girl's emotions. Brittany just looked interested and curious and adorable with that damn pout. It was quickly becoming a weakness for Rachel. Rachel let out a little sigh because she knew there was no resisting that pout.

"Why do you play the dumb blonde cheerleader when you are in fact the complete opposite?" Rachel asked as she turned to face the taller girl.

It was Brittany's turn to be completely speechless. Before this moment she was positive that the only person who knew about her ditzy blonde cheerleader act was Santana. Not even Quinn had figured that out and she was supposed to be Brittany's best friend. The shorter blonder cheerleader had always treated Brittany like she was a child and couldn't think for herself. How is it that someone she hadn't been friends with knew about her fake persona but one of her so called best friends didn't?

"What are you talking about Rachel?" Brittany asked after a few moments of silence.

"Come on Rae, I'm not mad or anything. I just want to know how you figured it out." Brittany stated as she smiled at the brunette singer. She really wasn't upset or anything she just really wanted Rachel to explain further on what she meant. She wanted to know how much the other girl actually knew about her. Rachel debated on whether or not she should continue on. She also had to admit that Beth wasn't the only one in this house that had her wrapped around their fingers.

"Well I mean I'm ahead in all of my classes. Last year as a junior I was taking senior level classes. I was having a little trouble with Calculus during the fall semester and Mr. Brown suggested that I ask you for a little help. Now I've always had this feeling that you were smarter than you lead everyone to believe but I didn't think you were a genius. So I asked him if we were discussing the same Brittany Pierce and he said yeah then proceeded to explain to me that you were in all A.P. classes as a junior and could have graduated at the end of year but had your reasons for not graduating early. I decided to check with some other teachers and they confirmed his story. You have the highest GPA in our senior class and extremely high I.Q. Why do you continue to play the dumb blonde role?" Rachel answered Brittany.

Brittany was stunned speechless once again. She sat back on the couch and stared straight ahead trying to sort through her thoughts. Brittany couldn't help but think that Rachel had known about her facade for almost a year and hadn't said anything. She wondered what other things the tiny singer knew and hadn't said anything about.

Rachel was worried that she had crossed a line because they had being sitting in silence for exactly 2 minutes now, not that she was counting or anything. Brittany wasn't even looking at her and she was getting worried. She hadn't even meant to say anything in the first place. She was getting ready to apologize and tell Brittany to forget she said anything when Brittany turned to her and started to speak.

"So Freshmen year during Cheerios Camp I had to ask one of the older girls for help to get my locker open because it was stuck. She was willing to help but a few of the other girls overheard and just assumed that I meant I couldn't put the combination in or didn't understand how to open it or something. I don't know honestly. Well the other upperclassmen started calling me stupid and other mean names. Of course Santana immediately stepped in and defended me. We had been friends since elementary school and you know how protective she can be. By the time school had started everyone knew about the locker incident and called me stupid and wouldn't believe the real story. So I just became what they assumed I was. If they didn't want to take the time to get to know the real me then I'm not going to take the time to show them." explained Brittany.

Brittany had decided that if she was really going to be friends with Rachel and if Rachel was going to show Brittany the real Rachel then she needed to let the other girl see the real her also. She knew that Rachel wouldn't be the one to initiate things. That she'd have to take the reins and guide them. So if giving Rachel the answers she wanted would help things along then she could do that. And yeah she might have ulterior motives to opening up.

"Santana didn't like it and didn't want to go along with it but she is my best friend and she understood. She also did what she had to do to be there for me and protect me." Brittany added after a few moments. Rachel could understand why Brittany did what she did. It was the same reason why she never let anyone at McKinley get to know the real her.

"Makes sense and I want to get to know you so you don't have to do that here, being the dumb blonde role I mean. Just be you." Rachel stated after a few moments. Brittany nodded her head in understanding not knowing how else to reply.

"So why not graduate and get out of here?" Rachel asked a few moments. That's what she would have done. She couldn't wait to graduate and leave this small minded town in the rearview. Lima had it good moments but the close mindedness of its residence was stifling at time.

"I have my reasons." Brittany stated simply locking eyes with Rachel.

Rachel figured from the short reply that she wasn't going to get anything else out of the blonde dancer on the matter. She also noticed a look in Brittany's eyes like they were trying to tell her something. The look made Rachel blush and she had to turn away. She didn't understand what the feeling was but it had her squirm in her seat. Rachel didn't want to read too much into the look in case it wasn't what she was hoping it was. She took a deep breath to calm herself and looked at Brittany again who was fighting back laughter. Rachel scrunched her face in confusion and Brittany lost it.

"I'm sorry you're like super adorable." Brittany panted out through laughter. Rachel's face flushed red and she quickly turned her face toward the TV. She wasn't trying to be adorable or anything.

"So umm Netflix..." Rachel said pointing at the TV and putting on another episode of Scandal. She really didn't want to think about why she was so nervous. I mean yes Brittany is extremely beautiful and she was slightly sorta kinda maybe a little no a lot attracted to her but they were just becoming friends and she couldn't mess that up. Plus she didn't trust Brittany...yet. She knew that she'd rather have the other girl as a friend than not at all.

"Wait I have a question of my own." Brittany stated as she paused the episode and turned to face Rachel once again. Rachel nervously ran her hand through her hair. She had a guess as to what Brittany was about to ask her. Rachel nodded her head in understanding and agreement.

"Why do you pretend to be someone you're not at school? You know my reasoning and I'm just wondering about yours." Brittany stated.

"How do you know I'm pretending?" Rachel answered the question with another question. She honestly didn't want to delve in her reasoning behind her actions. It wasn't as simple as Brittany's story.

"Well I mean it's pretty obvious that you aren't the same Rachel here at home. In just the little time we've spent together I see the differences. You haven't mentioned glee club once, you curse quite a bit I might add, you smoke weed which is a total fucking shocker, and you kicked Finn Hudson out of house after fighting Quinn for him." Brittany replied.

"Same answer as you. No one bothered to get to know the real me. Everyone put me in a box so I stayed there." Rachel stated after a few moments. Brittany looked over at Rachel and nodded in understand. She knew that there was more to the story then just that but she wouldn't ask Rachel to go into details about it now. She'd wait until they were better friends and Rachel was more comfortable with her. Rachel couldn't help but to think back to her first day of freshmen year.

_(Flashback to Freshmen Year)_

_Rachel Berry huffed as made her way through the halls of McKinley in search of the lunch room. She had started almost a week after everyone due to fact that she had to wait for her transcript to be sent over. Her first day hadn't gone bad per say. Of course she had to find all of classes causing her to be late, she had to stand up and introduce herself in said classes, and her locker didn't want to open forcing her to carry all of her books. Oh and the other kids seemed to only stick with their cliques so no one had really approached or talked to her yet but other than that her day was going fairly decent. _

_Rachel decided to follow behind a group of kids hoping that they were headed to the cafeteria. She nearly jumped in rejoice when she walked through the doors of the cafeteria. Rachel had woken up late and forgot to grab her lunch out of the fridge. She was hoping that this school at least had a salad because she highly doubted that they would have vegan options for her to eat. _

_As Rachel looked down into her bag for her wallet she felt her body collided with another. She looked up to apologize when she realized that she had run into a girl in a cheerleading uniform and said uniform was covered in food and an empty tray was on the ground. That was Rachel's first encounter with a Cheerios and this specific Cheerios just so happened to be the captain of the squad. The entire cafeteria went silent as said cheerleader screamed in anger, frustration, and disgust as Rachel tried to help her clean off the food. _

"_Don't touch me with your man hands you freak." The cheerleader shouted as she slapped Rachel's hands away. Rachel pulled her hands away and tried to look around for a napkin or something to give the girl so that she could clean off the food._

"_I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Let me..." Rachel began to say as she grabbed a handful of napkins off of an empty table._

"_You'll pay for this. No one makes me look like a fool no one. Be prepared to spend the next four years at the bottom. You just ruined your entire high school career." The cheerleader sneered as she turned and walked out of the lunchroom. A group of other cheerleaders followed after her but not before sending a glare in Rachel's direction. _

_Rachel sighed before shaking her head in confusion and getting in the lunch line. She could feel eyes on her as the lunch slowly came back to life. It wasn't until the end of the day that she was slushied for the first time. Half of the football team threw slushies in her face before telling her that it was a message from the head Cheerios. That was the first of many, many, many slushies._

_(End Flashback)_

Rachel was brought out of her walk down memory lane by the feel of the couch shifting. Brittany had moved a little closer towards her so that they weren't quite touching but almost. It seemed as though Brittany didn't notice the movement but Rachel sure had. She could feel the heat coming from Brittany's body or it could have been her imagination, she wasn't sure. If Rachel would just move a few inches closer then she'd be able to touch that heat and feel Brittany's arm touching hers. But she did move closer to Brittany reminding herself that they are still new to this whole friends' thing. That didn't stop Rachel for hoping that one day they would be comfortable enough with one another to seat really close together on the couch.

Brittany had to admit that she was a little disappointed that Rachel hadn't closed the small gap between them. She thought about closing the gap herself but didn't want to make Rachel uncomfortable. She knew that they weren't super close and that the brunette didn't trust her yet. To be honest Brittany didn't know how Rachel felt about her other than wanting to be friends. Plus they really needed to focus on Beth for now. Brittany had time now and she wasn't going to let the singer go without a fight. She had time to convince Rachel to be with her and let her feelings for Rachel be known. Brittany decided to just enjoy being close to Rachel and getting to spend some alone time with her. She knew that Rachel would open up to her more in time.

'One day Rachel Berry you will be mine.' Brittany thought to herself and she pressed play on the remote restarting the episode of Scandal.

**A/N: Next time we get a little Blatana (Blake and Santana) time and learn some fun facts about the girls.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **

**Chapter 5**

**-(Car ride to the mall)-**

Blake and Santana sat in an almost awkward silence. The only thing that saved it from being completely awkward was the fact that music was lowly filtering through the speakers. They didn't think it was a big deal when they were chosen to go get everything while the other two stayed but they also didn't realize that they didn't know anything about one another besides each other's name. They were two complete strangers riding together in a car to go shopping. You would think that because they didn't know anything about one another and that this was the first time that they were alone together that the two would have an endless amount of questions for another but never really said anything.

Blake was completely comfortable with sitting in the car and listening to music. She was kind of lost in her own thoughts about all the things that they would need and all the things that were changing in her life so quickly. If she were honest she never thought that she'd convince Rachel and her mom to go along with her plan. The basketball player was certain that they would have just laughed at her and told her hell no and that she was going to be sent to a mental health facility for a little bit. And then the two cheerleaders agreeing also had been a huge curve ball that she hadn't been expecting. She didn't know either of the girls but she figured they would have ran for the hills once she said they were going to keep Beth. Blake couldn't help but wonder if they were only agreeing to get something out of it but she also knew that she had to and would give the two girls the benefit of the doubt. Well at least until they proved they were up to no good then she'd handle them.

Santana kept stealing glances over at the curly haired girl sitting in her passenger seat. She honestly didn't know what to think or how to approach the other girl. Blake was already turning out to be a huge puzzle, an extremely complicated puzzle, to her. In the last few hours she's seen the girl go from serious, to extremely happy and goofy, to controlled anger, and then to shy and quiet. And if she were honest Santana had no idea how to handle the quiet and reserved person that sat next to her. The brunette cheerleader laughed to herself as she wondered why people didn't come with instruction manuals, I mean seriously it'd make things twenty times easier. Santana took a deep breath before deciding to break the silence.

"Why'd you call Finn mailman or whatever?"

The sound of Santana's voice brought Blake out of her thoughts and she looked over at the other girl with a look of confusion on her face. The basketball player had been positive that she would have been bombarded with questions about herself or her and Rachel's relationship. She was completely surprised and caught off guard that Santana had asked that question out of everything she could be asking right now.

"Umm… when Rachel would come and visit me in New York she would tell me and some others about her ex/beard, Finn. Some of the stories would involve his little early arrival problem and how when he'd get ready to blow his load early he'd start chanting mailman over and over again. For the longest time Rachel was positive that he had some kind of fetish for mailmen hence the nickname mailman." Blake answered easily. That story was more embarrassing for Finn then Rachel so she didn't mind sharing.

Santana nearly drove off the road from laughing so hard. She couldn't believe that she had never thought of that one before. The brunette knew of Finn's little early arrival problem and that weird little chant he does in hopes of distracting himself so that he wouldn't cream his pants but she had never thought to turn it into a nickname. She'd have to give Berry a high five for that one and add it to her own list of nicknames for Hudson.

It didn't take the girls long to arrive at the mall and Santana lead them to one of the baby boutique stores that she knew would have most of the things they needed. It had been the store that her parents used for her younger siblings. Santana grabbed a basket to push while Blake pulled the list out of her pocket and they began walking through the store. After the first ten minutes Santana was starting to wish she had opted to do this alone.

"Seriously… Blake, why would Beth need a remote controlled helicopter?" Santana asked as she grabbed said item and placed it back on the shelf. They were getting the things that they needed but Blake had taken it upon herself to add things that weren't needed as well. Blake only smiled and shrugged in response.

"So tell me something about yourself." Santana tried to start up a conversation after a few moments. Blake looked at Santana over her shoulder before tossing three plush animals into the cart.

"Umm… what do you mean?" Blake asked in response. Santana rolled her eyes before grabbing two of the plush animals and placing them back on the shelf.

"I mean I don't know anything about you besides your name, your best friends with Rachel, and you're from New York. We're in this together so I thought we should get to know one another." Santana replied with a shrug.

"There's not much to know about me to be honest. I'm not an interesting person at all." Blake stated before spotting a couple of Ninja Turtles onesies and heading in that direction.

Santana shook her head and followed after the other girl. The cheerleader knew that there was more to Blake than she let on. From the short time that they had been at the mall together Santana could already tell that Blake had a thing for Ninja Turtles, was easily distracted, and loved to drum on things. She'd figured Blake out one day and until then she'd learn everything she possibly could about the other girl.

After two hours of shopping the duo were able to get almost everything that they needed from that one store. The only things that they needed to order online and have delivered were the highchair and stroller because quote they had to be BAMF looking unquote. Both items were scheduled to be delivered to the house in two days' time. They had decided that since it was almost lunch time that they would grab Breadsticks before heading home. They both knew their perspective best friends order by heart and knew not to expect one of the girls at the house to cook lunch. Blake was shocked to see how quickly they got their food along with an extra order of Breadsticks. She noticed the almost fearful looks the staff at Breadsticks had on their faces when they spotted Santana. Santana only smirked and shrugged when Blake tried to ask her about it.

The two girls returned to the house and only brought the food from Breadsticks in with them. They decided that they would wait to unload all of the baby items. Blake and Rachel still needed to move a lot of things around and decorate. It had been decided that Beth would be taking Rachel's room which was connected to the room next to it by the bathroom. Rachel would be moving into the connecting room to still be close to Beth. Blake would keep the room across the hall from Rachel's old room now Beth's new room like she always had.

The two girls made their way to the living room where they heard the sound of the TV and figured the other two were just watching TV and waiting on their return. Blake stopped in the middle of the doorway causing Santana to run into her back. Santana started to speak but was stopped when Blake put a finger over her lips and pointed in the direction of the couch. On the couch Brittany was currently sleeping with her head on Rachel's shoulder and her face buried in Rachel's neck. Rachel had her arms wrapped around Brittany's waist holding the taller girl close to her smaller body. They both looked so peaceful and serene. Blake and Santana shared a look before pulling out there phones and taking pictures of the adorable duo.

Brittany was pulled from her slumber by the sound of giggling and what sounded like a camera going off. She was warm, comfortable, and the smell of strawberries seemed to be surrounding her. Rachel always smelled like strawberries she thought nuzzling more into the scent hoping to fall back asleep. The feel of her pillow moving up and down woke her up even more because even her sleep riddled brain she knew that pillows didn't move. Brittany opened her eyes and was met with the site of brunette hair in her face. It didn't take her long to realize that she had fallen asleep and cuddle attacked Rachel in her sleep. Brittany quickly and quietly tried to move away from Rachel before the other girl woke but moved to fast and miss judged how much room she had on the couch and ended up falling with a loud bang onto the floor.

"Oh fuck!" Brittany squeaked out. The flailing of her arms and legs along with the loudness in her voice woke Rachel with a jump. The other two girls were doubled over in laughter at the situation. Both girls wishing that they had been recording that moment to watch it over and over again.

"What happened? Are you o.k.?" Rachel asked once she noticed Brittany on the ground.

Rachel quickly stuck her hand out to help Brittany up from the floor. Brittany's face flushed deep red as she stood up with Rachel's assistance. The blonde dancer had to admit that she was a little embarrassed and sent Rachel a thumb's up letting the shorter girl know that she was o.k. The loud noises startled Beth who had started crying but quickly quieted and fell back asleep after Rachel picked her up and rocked her a little bit.

Blake raised the bag of food and nodded towards the kitchen before heading in that direction with Santana. Once Beth had been placed back in her makeshift bed Rachel and Brittany made their way to the kitchen to join the others. Santana and Blake had already claimed their seats from the previous night and had separated the food. Rachel and Brittany took their seats as Blake grabbed drinks for everyone and sat down to eat as well.

"Thanks for grabbing lunch, guys." Brittany stated getting a nod from Rachel. It had been several hours since they had last eaten and they were hungry. Blake and Santana nodded in response.

"Well I don't know about Rachel but you can't cook anything that doesn't come from the freezer so we figured we'd get lunch." Santana replied with a cheeky grin on her face. Brittany stuck her tongue out in response as the other two softly laughed.

"So did you get everything?" Rachel asked after a few moments.

"Oh yeah we did. We'll need to go get more baby food, diapers, and such from the grocery store because the baby store at mall didn't have those items but we pretty much have everything else. Oh and we have to wait a couple of days for the highchair and stroller to be delivered." Blake answered before she took another bit of food.

"Yeah we would have those items also but someone had to get something custom made instead of what was in the store." Santana added as she stole a bite of food from Blake's plate who only pouted in return.

Rachel's mouth almost fell open at what she had just witnessed. She couldn't believe that Blake had let someone else take food from her plate. If Rachel had even tried that she would have gotten a fork embedded into her hand and she wishes she was over exaggerating that one. Maybe Santana would be a good thing for Blake whether as just friends or girlfriends. Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of those two together. Two extremely stubborn and hotheaded people together, man that'd be a sight to see. Hell the fact that all four of them were sitting together and having lunch was a sight to see all on its own but Rachel wasn't going to put much thought into it. She'd just enjoy these moments when they came.

**=Time Jump-**

It had been two and a half weeks since they decided to keep Beth and they were quickly settling into being parents and their new daily routines. After lunch that day Rachel and Blake had unloaded everything from Santana's SUV and placed the items into one of the spare bedrooms downstairs. Once they finished with that they then set out to get everything moved from Rachel's old room and placed them into her new room. The best friends left Santana and Brittany with Beth while they went and purchased the items they would need to repaint both rooms. All four girls worked together while Beth napped in her playpen to get the two rooms painted.

Once the walls were painted Blake painted Beth's name in white above her crib along with small flowers around the little girl's name. Blake also decided to paint a shadow portrait of Beth and was planning to add one every year to track her growth. Once all of the paint had dried the teens finally set up the two rooms. It was weird seeing a nursery in place of Rachel's old room. The house also had minor changes made to it seeing as it needed to be baby proofed. Baby gates and child proof locks were installed on several things and a cover was purchased for the pool. The girls were proud of the changes that they had made and it made them more confident in their decision to keep Beth.

After almost two months of no communication Rachel's dads finally called about a week ago but only to inform Rachel that they needed to stay in China longer than originally planned. They didn't say when they'd actually be home just that the building they'd been working on needed more work than initially planned and they had to be there to supervise it all. They quickly agreed and were pleased that Blake would be spending the school year with Rachel. The Berry Men even purchased a new Mercedes SUV for the girls stating they'd need another vehicle because they knew that Blake wouldn't want to have to ride around in the Prius all the time and such a small vehicle wouldn't cut it anymore.

Rachel was use to this kind of thing if she were honest. Whenever her dads weren't coming home, missing a holiday or birthday, or something that Rachel deemed important they would give her something new and shiny expecting that to make it better. Sometimes she wanted to scream at them and let them know that she needs her fathers. Cassie was almost just as bad as they were but she at least called once a month sometimes more. But Rachel never screamed at either set of parents instead she smiled and said thank you, I love you, and I miss you just like she was supposed to.

Rachel had stopped trying a long time ago to get her fathers' attention but that didn't mean she wasn't affected by their absence. She didn't want to have to try and get their attention she wanted them to give it to her freely. She couldn't help but wonder if they truly missed her and wanted her around or if they stayed away because they couldn't accept that she was different. She knew that it was a little ridiculous to even ask that question because her fathers have always been accepting of her but she couldn't think of a reason why they would be gone from home for so long. Rachel would tell herself it didn't matter because she had Blake and now Brittany, Santana, and even Beth but it still hurt. Rachel didn't know what was going through her fathers' minds but what she did know was that she was going to do everything in her power to be there for her family so that they never questioned her love for them.

On top of getting the rooms done and the new vehicle the girls' managed to get somewhat of a schedule down. Rachel had read online somewhere that it is important to get a baby on a schedule as soon as possible. Every morning at 6 a.m. Rachel and Blake would wake up before Beth go down to the basement and get an hour workout in to start their day. Beth would wake up a little after 7 and Blake would change her diaper before handing her to Rachel who would then clothe and feed Beth while Blake showered. Once Blake finished showering they would switch places Rachel would shower while Blake cooked breakfast for them and played with Beth. The two older girls would eat breakfast before one of them would rock Beth to sleep.

Brittany and Santana would show up a couple of hours later and the four girls would either watch TV, play video games, or something to occupy their minds until noon when Beth would wake again for her second bottle of the day. After Beth's second bottle they would take the baby outside to play in the grass or swim in the pool. Well Brittany and Santana would swim in the pool with Beth while the other two girls would make up an excuse why they couldn't get into the pool and sit on the side of the pool talking or mixing music. The group of five would spend a couple of hours outside before Beth would tire herself out and be ready for another nap. The big girls would find something to do to entertain themselves until it was Beth's bath time at 6. At first they would argue over whose turn it was to bath the little girl because Beth was extremely adorable when it came to bath time, she loved it. The arguing led to them having to come up with a schedule of sorts. Once her bath was over it was time for one final bottle before Beth's bedtime.

Once Beth was upstairs in her crib the older girls would begin to prep for dinner. Sometimes Santana and Brittany would stay for dinner and sometimes they would go have dinner with their families. If the two cheerleaders stayed for dinner than either Blake, Santana, or both would cook or they would order from Breadsticks. Once dinner was finished the girls would watch a movie or something before Brittany and Santana went home for the night at around 11. On some nights the two cheerleaders would just crash at the house in two of the guest rooms that had basically became their rooms.

Beth would wake up again around 1 or 2 in the morning for another bottle and changing. Rachel and Blake alternated who got up and attended to the little girl each night. When Brittany and Santana stayed over they were included in the rotation. All four girls had a baby monitor in their room and kept another downstairs in the living room for during the day to always have someone listening in on Beth to make sure she was safe. They all had to admit that being a parent was a tiring job but with all four of them it didn't seem as bad and made things easier.

With all the time that the girls were spending together they got to learn so much about one another. Brittany and Santana were surprised and saddened about the fact that they had no real idea who Rachel was. She was turning out to be a completely different person than the one that they had seen over the years. The two cheerleaders had learned that Rachel was funny, super sarcastic, laid back, caring, and had this calming presence about her. They also discovered that Rachel didn't actually talk in long paragraphs filled with big words that only a few people could follow. That was apparently something Rachel did when she was extremely nervous and/or frustrated.

One of the most shocking things that the two cheerleaders learned is that Rachel didn't actually want to be a star on Broadway like they always thought but write Broadway plays and produce music. Rachel had explained that she wouldn't mind starring in a Broadway play but she preferred writing out scenes, songs, and doing all the behind the scenes stuff. She had spent so much time with Mama Ju during rehearsals that she just fell in love with the process of creating a play. Rachel along with Blake also wanted to open up centers to teach kids about the arts and sports. Both girls wanted to be able to give kids a safe place that they could go and learn and just be themselves while preparing for their future in a sense.

Brittany and Santana both knew from glee how much Rachel loved and knew about music but they had no idea that that love was twenty times more than she let on. On one of their many days over they had come across Rachel's music room upstairs and were in complete awe of it. The brunette singer had a ton of equipment and many different musical instruments, some they had never even heard of before. The two cheerleaders absolutely loved getting to sit in the music room and watch as Rachel, with the help of Blake sometimes, created different songs or different mixes of songs. It was a truly magically watching the two girl's love of music shine through as they produced a new song or got behind a set of decks and mixed something. Rachel is truly a musical genius.

Brittany and Santana had also learned that Rachel absolutely loved animals and had always wanted a dog. The problem was that Rachel was highly allergic to dogs. So the two cheerleaders went to Pet Smart and purchased a fish that they named Dog so that Rachel could have a dog. Blake and Rachel laughed for almost two hours when the two cheerleaders showed them the fish. Rachel also really loved watching random documentaries on animals and/or space. The brunette singer explained that stars weren't just a metaphor for her but had a deeper meaning for her. She however changed the subject when either cheerleader tried asking her about that meaning. Which they both understood and would wait until Rachel was more comfortable with them to tell them why stars meant so much to her. The two cheerleaders loved getting to know and see the real Rachel.

Brittany and Santana really loved watching the friendship between Rachel and Blake. It was much like their own friendship and they could understand and respect that. The two girls were like Fire and Ice or Night and Day. Where Rachel was laid back and chill Blake was loud and energetic. Where Rachel was calm and reasonable Blake was hot-headed and irrational at times. The two girls were complete opposites but were also similar in a lot of ways and just seemed to fit. Brittany and Santana can completely understand why the two girls are so close. The lifelong best friends practically had their lives planned out together.

The two cheerleaders also got to hear stories from when Blake and Rachel were younger. Several of the stories involved little adventures that the other two would go on and other stories really helped the two cheerleaders learn even more about the two girls. Through these stories they learned that Rachel called Blake "Turtle" because when they were younger for years Blake was, and still is in a way, obsessed with The Ninja Turtles. She was so obsessed with them that she was determined to become a scientist one day and figure out a way to turn herself into a Turtle. She had already been taking Martial Arts so turning herself into a giant turtle meant that she could be a real live Ninja Turtle. The two cheerleaders also got to hear the story of why Rachel isn't allowed in the kitchen. It was one of their favorite stories to listen to and image.

_(Flashback to 8 year old Rachel)_

_Little Rachel Berry has always been an early riser. It seemed as though her internal clock had always been set to super early for no reason. This particular morning she had woke up super early and didn't want to just lie in bed and read like she would normally do. Rachel had decided that she was going to make breakfast for Mama Ju and Blake. She had seen both Blake girls do it time and time again and figured she could do it as well. _

_Rachel made her way downstairs and realized pretty quickly that she wouldn't be able to reach the counters on her own. _

"_Why am I so small again?" Rachel huffed out as she made her way to the bathroom and grabbed her stepping stool. _

_Rachel brought her stool in the kitchen and set it up next to the counter space and nodded now that she could reach the counter space she could continue. She then turned to the fridge and opened the door. She could totally make eggs of the vegan kind, pancakes, bacon (even though she'd need gloves and wouldn't dare eat it herself), and grits. Rachel began pulling everything she would need from the fridge and placing it on the counter. She than remembered she needed to grab the pancake mix, the giant mixing bowl, and the giant spoon to mix the pancakes. Rachel had also decided to make Mama Ju some coffee because the woman was extremely cranky if she didn't get her caffeine first thing in the morning. _

_Rachel pushed her stool over to the cabinet that held the pancake mix and the coffee grounds. She stepped onto the stool and still had to stand on her tip toes in order to reach the box of pancake mix. _

"_Why does Mama Ju put things so high up? She knows how vertically challenged I am." Rachel huffed out as she managed to get the box of pancake mix down. _

_She placed the item onto the countertop before turning back around to grab the coffee grounds. Rachel continued to pull the coffee grounds to the edge of the cabinet so that she could get a good hold onto it before pulling it down. She wasn't paying attention to how close to the edge the bag already was nor did she realize that the bag was open. With one more tug the entire bag of coffee grounds tilted over covering Rachel and the floor. Rachel stood stunned for a few moments before climbing down off of the stool. She knew that she'd have to clean up the mess but she figured she could just wait until she finished cooking to clean up._

_Rachel scooped three cups of what was left of the coffee grounds into the coffee pot while forgetting to put the coffee filter in first. She grabbed a bigger cup and filled it with water before pouring it over the coffee grounds and flipping the little switch to turn the coffee machine on. Little Rachel was positive she was doing things right because that's how Mama Ju does it. She then climbed off her stool and looked in the bottom cabinets for the pots and pans she would need to cook everything in. She grabbed the ones she had seen Blake and Mama Ju using and filled one of the pots up with water before placing it on the stove and turning the nob onto the highest setting. Rachel knew that she needed to bring the water to a boil before adding the grits to the pot._

_Once she had the coffee on and pot of water boiling Rachel turned and stared at the carton of eggs. She didn't want to touch them but knew that both July women loved eggs. Rachel thought for a second before turning to the microwave and was hit with an idea. She could put the eggs in the microwave they could cook that way. She wouldn't have to crack the eggs because they could just cook in the shell it made perfect sense to her. Rachel grabbed a bowl and placed four eggs into it before placing them in the microwave and turning it on._

_She made her way back over to the counter and grabbed the mixing bowl and giant wooden spoon so that she could make the pancake mix before realizing she would need water as well. She climbed down and moved her stool so that she could get to the big measuring cup she had seen Mama Ju use and filled it with water before carefully climbing down and placing it on the counter next to her mixing bowl and pancake mix. She moved her stool back over in front of the counter before climbing up onto it so that she could actually see over the bowl. Rachel added the water to the bowl before she grabbed the bag of pancake mix and proceeded to try and open it. It took her several tries and a lot of strength until the bag came open. Rachel honestly didn't even realize how much strength she was using in an attempt to get the bag open. _

_The bag came open and pancake mix flew out the bag covering Rachel and the floor. Rachel squeaked in surprise before wiping her face off and continuing on with her task. She was determined to get breakfast cooked before cleaning up. She filled the mixing bowl with mix before grabbing the spoon and being to stir. Rachel didn't know that it was better to put the mix in and slowly add water as you stirred and water immediately started spilling out of the bowl as she stirred. The little girl sighed to herself at the mess she had made and decided that she could no longer stand it. She needed to clean up some of it so that it wouldn't be in the way when she needed to move from the counter space to the stove._

_Rachel climbed down from her stool and walked over to the closet that held the cleaning supplies. She grabbed the broom first and began sweeping up the pancake mix and coffee grinds that littered the floor. In her need to clean up the mess that she had created Rachel had completely forgotten about the water that she was boiling on the stove. As Rachel swept up the last bit of the mess on the floor into the dustpan the smoke detector started blaring followed by what sounded like a bomb going off in the microwave. Rachel dropped the broom and dustpan full of stuff before spinning around. Her eyes widen as she saw the smoke bellowing out of the pot on the stove. _

_It wasn't long before Cassie and Blake came running into the kitchen to see what was going on. You could tell that they both had jumped right out of bed and ran to the kitchen. Cassie hair was frizzed and sticking all over her head and Blake had a bit of dried drool on her face. Both July women wanted to burst out laughing at the scene that greeted them. Rachel was covered in a white powder with little speckles of black in it. The kitchen was a complete mess. Cassie quickly grabbed a potholder and took the pot off the stove before placing it into the sink while Blake went and turned off the microwave which was smoking as well. Cassie turned on the water in the sink and watched in awe as the bottom of the pot fell out. She had never seen that happen before and she had to admit that it was sort of fascinating and terrifying to watch at the same time. _

"_Hey little one, what were you doing?" Cassie asked once she turned around._

"_She was trying to burn the place down if you ask me. She made an egg bomb in the microwave." Blake commented as she double over laughing once again. Rachel flinched at the comment and wished that the floor would open up and swallow her whole._

_Cassie noticed how Rachel had flinched at Blake's words and shot her daughter a 'you better shut your mouth right now' look. The older July woman could see the little tremble in Rachel's body as the little girl stood with her head bowed. Cassie honestly hated seeing Rachel cry as much as she hated seeing Blake cry, if not a little more. Cassie blamed it on those big brown eyes that made you feel like you had just kicked Bambi when Rachel cried. Cassie sighed and surveyed the kitchen before kneeling down in front of Rachel who looked up at her with big brown tear filled eyes before looking back down._

"_Little one I'm not mad or upset I promise. Were you trying to cook breakfast for us?" Cassie asked softly getting a nod in response._

"_Well burnt pan isn't good for my digestive track. I'll pass." Blake commented as she began laughing again. Cassie stood up and smacked her daughter on the back of her head. _

"_No one asked for your input and now you get to finish cleaning up this mess while Rachel goes and gets cleaned up. I'll make us some pancakes and fruit salads for breakfast." Cassie stated getting an annoyed look from Blake. She raised her eyebrow in response and Blake quickly grabbed the broom and began sweeping. Cassie nodded and kneeled back down in front of Rachel._

"_Alright little one I need you to go take a quick shower and get cleaned up. I'm thinking today we go get a bunch of junk food and Disney movies and cuddle on the couch together all day." Cassie stated as she lifted the little girl's chin up. _

_Rachel felt really bad and was completely horrified that she had nearly burned down the house. She honestly can't believe that she had completely forgotten about the pot on the stove usually she was more attentive to things than that. She knew that Blake would tease her relentlessly about this and that Mama Ju had to be upset with her. She was completely surprised when Cassie said that she wasn't mad and it made her feel a little better. Blake's little teasing comments weren't helping matters at all. Rachel's mood lifted as she heard Cassie tell Blake that she would have to clean up the mess and Rachel actually smiled when she heard Cassie's plan for the day. She loved getting to watch movies all day and eat junk food with Blake and Mama Ju. They always let her pick the movies and sit in the middle so that she was nice and warm. It also meant that Mama Ju would make her famous (well not really famous except to them) hot chocolate._

"_I'm sorry about the mess and scaring you mama Ju." Rachel muttered out. Cassie just smiled and kissed Rachel on the cheek._

"_It's o.k. little one, I promise. Now go get cleaned up while we finish in here." Cassie replied getting a smile and kiss on the cheek in response. She chuckled as she watched Rachel practically skip out of the kitchen._

"_She has you wrapped around her little fingers." Blake commented with a smirk as she continued to clean._

"_It's those big brown eyes I swear, damn doe eyes. Also you have no room to talk baby girl." Cassie replied with a smile. _

_Both July women chuckled in response because they both knew that it was true. Rachel had them both wrapped around her little finger and they didn't have a problem with that at all. At that moment the coffee machine beeped loudly signaling that it was finished brewing the coffee. It was an old machine that Cassie has had since her college days. Cassie smiled and grabbed her mug before filling it up with coffee. The older woman smiled at the effort that Rachel had put into trying to make breakfast for them. She took a sip out of her mug and immediately spit the drink back into her mug. She turned to the machine and lifted the lid and laughed out loud._

"_What?" Blake asked as she noticed her mother laughing._

"_So let's agree that Rachel can't be left alone in the kitchen anymore." Cassie replied as she poured the coffee down the drain and emptied the pot. Blake sent her mother a questioning look._

"_She didn't put the coffee filter in before putting the coffee grinds in." Cassie answered the unasked question._

"_Yeah I agree she needs to be supervised at all times when in the kitchen." Blake commented. Both July women shared another laugh before going back to their task of cleaning the kitchen and cooking an edible breakfast._

_(End Flashback)_

Through the stories from their childhood and hanging out around the house as much as they have been the two cheerleaders were also able to learn a few things about Blake. Through the time spent at the house the two cheerleaders discovered just how much Blake loved cooking and well food in general. It wasn't a surprise to them that Blake wanted to cook at and own a restaurant one day. What did surprise them was that Blake intended to never let people leave her restaurant hungry whether they could pay for their meal or not. It was amazing to see just how caring and compassionate both girls were even though Blake would deny it. Blake alongside Rachel wanted to open a sports/the arts complex were people of all ages could go and get away from the hardships of their life while learning and training in their favorite sport or art form.

The two cheerleaders had quickly learned that Blake was an amazing artist and could paint or draw almost anything. The two cheerleaders of course had seen the drawing Blake had done on Beth's wall and asked her to draw them. The portrait of each of them had been breathtakingly beautiful and almost lifelike. That most shocking to them was that Blake also wrote poetry but that was kept well hidden in a black book in her room. They had seen the girl writing in the book once and asked about it. They learned that Blake's favorite past time was making them smile and laugh. There was never a moment where she wasn't doing or saying something that had everyone doubling over in laughter. They also learned that Blake called Rachel Buzz because when they first met it was like when Woody met Buzz Lightyear. She was extremely formal for a kid and needed to learn to chill out, Blake's words not theirs. Blake was an extremely private person, which made the two cheerleaders cherish the stuff that they were able to learn. It meant that the artist was slowly warming up to them and accepting them.

Rachel and Blake in return got to learn a lot about the two cheerleaders also. They learned that Brittany and Santana were never an actual couple but did do the whole friends with benefits thing for a while before deciding that they were better off as just friends. It wasn't really a surprise for them to learn that Brittany had an I.Q of 126 but it was a surprise to learn that she already had a full ride scholarship to M.I.T. and several other colleges. They also weren't surprise to learn that Brittany didn't want to go to M.I.T but wanted to go to Julliard for Dance. Anyone with eyes could see that Brittany was made to dance and both girls agreed that it would be a complete waste of her talent to do anything else.

Brittany wanted to become a professional choreograph for stars and movies from time to time. However her ultimate dream was to one day open up a dance studio and teach people of all ages to dance. Just like Rachel and Blake she wanted to share her passion and love for dance with others and help them reach their full potential. The two best friends also learned that Brittany had an amazing sense of humor and was super sarcastic. They were a little surprise to learn that Brittany had one older sibling who she rarely ever saw because he lived several states away and rarely had time to visit. He was a top notch lawyer that worked on high profile cases which meant he put in a lot of hours at work. They also discovered that Brittany's parents are world renowned doctors in their fields and always working which meant she spent a lot of time at Santana's house.

The most surprising thing that they learned about Brittany was that she owned and rode several off-road vehicles. The blonde dancer use to compete in motocross in her spare time but now just rides for fun because she doesn't want to be a professional rider and thought she was just taking the spot of someone who did. Santana had shown them several videos from a few of Brittany's races where they themselves were able to see just how amazing the blonde dancer was. They were also surprise to learn that Brittany could speak Dutch, Spanish, German, Italian, Welsh, and French. Rachel wouldn't admit it but hearing Brittany speak in any of those languages was a huge turn on for her. Rachel truly cherishes learning all of these things about Brittany and Santana because she knows that they were putting a lot of trust her and being true to their word about wanting to be friends with her. They were showing Rachel the real them versus the fake personas they put on at McKinley. Not to mention the way that they were there for the two most important people in Rachel's life, Blake and now Beth.

Santana had to be the most surprising out of the bunch when it came to learning new things about one another. The brunette cheerleader still shared some characteristics with her school persona but there was such much more to her as a person. Rachel and Blake discovered that Santana wasn't actually from Lima Heights Adjacent but lived two streets over from Rachel, literal walking distance. Her grandmother however did live in Lima Heights Adjacent and she spent time over there every now and then.

The two best friends also learned that Santana was the middle child of seven kids and was often forgotten about at times. Her parents loved her and she knew that but with work and all the activities that each child was involved in well Santana sort of got lost in the shuffle of things at times. The Latina has four older brothers, one younger brother, and two younger sisters all ranging from the ages of 25 to 4. Santana honestly didn't mind it sometimes because she knew that her parent's attention couldn't be on her at all times and she didn't need her parents coming to events and embarrassing her.

Rachel and Blake also discovered that Santana was also extremely smart and had plans to either go to law school or med school one day but she hadn't decided officially yet. Her mom is a doctor and one of the best in her field and her dad is one of the best lawyers in Ohio and she wanted to follow in one of their footsteps. The duo also was extremely happy to learn that Santana was an excellent cook and could throw down in the kitchen almost as well as Blake could. The most surprising thing that they discovered was that Santana was even bigger nerd then Blake. Santana is a huge Dr. Who, Harry Potter, and Star Trek fan. She could talk for hours about the different Doctors and even had a sonic screwdriver that was incased and well hidden.

Santana also knew a ton of facts about the Harry Potter world that most people wouldn't even think to know. She could make butterbeer and it taste amazing. Blake and Rachel almost choked on their drinks one morning when Santana came downstairs in her Slytherin pajamas. It was something that they hadn't expected at all. Santana mumbled something at them in Dutch that sounded a lot like a threat and proceeded to grab a plate of food. That was also the morning they learned that Santana could speak several different languages as well. They found it absolutely hilarious and intriguing that Santana could also speak different languages from several TV shows like Star Trek and Game of Thrones.

The friendship between the four girls continued to blossom beautifully. They were becoming more and more comfortable around each other and more trusting of one another with every day that past. The girls were also learning things about Beth which was to be expected. Some of the things that they learned made them laugh and others confused them. One of the confusing things that they learned is that Beth absolutely loved old 80's and 90's rap music. Anytime the baby girl would become fussy or just wouldn't cooperate with them they would turn on the station on Pandora and she would instantly calm down and try to clap along or dance to the music. One of the things they learned that made them laugh was that the little girl loved to be sung to sleep. She would fight sleep until one or all four of the girls sang for her. Her absolute favorite being when all four girls would sing Phil Collins - "You'll be in my heart". It was safe to say that the little girl absolutely loved music already.

It was no surprise to them that the Beth absolutely loved being held and played with. The little blonde soaked up the attention and loved when one of the older girls' would blow raspberries on her tummy. Beth was such a happy and playful baby. Blake would swear her favorite pastime had to be spitting up on her mostly but it really was soaking in the attention of the four girls. It was surprising to the four girls how easy it was to give the little girl the love and attention that she desired. They easily adapted their lives to include Beth and her wants and needs. It was almost second nature to make sure that the blonde baby was happy, loved, and cared for to the best of their abilities.

Despite learning all of these things about each other there were things that they hadn't talked about either. Like where Rachel's dads were or why Blake didn't talk to her mom for longer than 5 minutes each night. They never talked about why Rachel refused to drink or have alcohol anywhere near the house. They didn't talk about why Rachel and Blake never got into the pool when the cheerleaders where over. They most certainly didn't talk about why the two girls would get so flustered that they had to walk away for a few minutes. They also didn't talk about what happened in the past. It was like Rachel had given Brittany and Santana a clean slate and they were taking full advantage of that. They were doing everything they could to show the tiny brunette that they were friends and she could count on them. They would sometimes discuss their plan for Beth but would never bring up Quinn and her disappearance. They never spoke about how they were feeling either.

Brittany really wanted to discuss feelings because well she had always had feelings for the small singer. And now with all the time that she was spending with the other girl those feelings were growing to be so much more than just a simple attraction. Brittany had to admit that watching the way Rachel cared for Beth and Blake and now herself and Santana was truly amazing. Rachel was truly selfless. She always made sure to take care of them first then herself. She made sure they were served food first, or got the first pick of movies no matter how much Blake argued about it. Rachel really went out of her way to make them feel welcomed and a part of their family. And Brittany was trying very hard to keep her personal feelings contained with but she would have little moments that she would slip up.

Without any conscience thought at first Brittany started to hug Rachel longer and keep physical contact with the other girl. Once she noticed that Rachel didn't have a problem with these things Brittany would find any excuse to touch Rachel in some way when they were talking and would also keep direct eye contact. Brittany would always sit next to Rachel at the dinner table or on the couch where she'd make sure they had skin to skin contact. Brittany could only sit and hope that Rachel would catch on to her signals and possibly recuperate her feelings.

Santana was in a similar situation with Blake. She hadn't noticed at first how much she was drawn to the other girl but as each day passed she began to realize that she couldn't deny her attraction much longer. There was just something about Blake that drew her in. Blake was such a mystery but so simple at the same time and it drove Santana absolutely crazy but she really liked it at the same. If you gave Blake pizza of any kind or Reese's you could get her do almost anything but talk about things that she didn't want to talk about. It was frustrating and funny at the same time. The artist would agree to change a number two diaper for a bag of Reese's but wouldn't talk about her mom for the same prize plus pizza.

Patience had never been one of Santana's strong suites and she had found out the hard way that pushing too hard with Blake would cause the other girl to shut down completely and not open back up for a while. Santana just like Brittany had started doing little things to show Blake that she was truly interested in her. Santana would always ask Blake to go into detail about what she was cooking, painting, or working on with Rachel when it came to music. She would always try to spend time with Blake and do anything to get the other girl to open up. She knew she'd have to tread lightly with curly haired girl but she wanted Blake to trust her and maybe… hopefully… feel something for her as well.

Rachel and Blake were of course completely oblivious to all the signs the two cheerleaders were sending out. Both girls for so long have believed that they would never find romantic because of their bodies. They both knew that they were attractive looking people but besides a few people never really had people show interest in them. So they never expect it to happen especially not with the two cheerleaders who could have literally anyone they wanted. You would have to have a neon sign that read 'Hey I like you in a romantic way' with blaring horns on them for either girl to get it. They both believed that no one could accept them as they are. Rachel had noticed some of Brittany's actions but didn't put too much thought into it. She had just always figured Brittany was a touchy feely type person. And Blake just figured that Santana was really curious about her life like anyone else would be when meeting a new person.

Blake and Rachel had learned to accept that they may never find love for themselves and they were o.k. with it for the most part. Having each other through it all has helped tremendously. With both of them having the same condition they were able to be each other's safety net. They could cover for each other if one had to leave quickly because their little friends decided to make themselves known. They could go to each other and complain about how they swore the cheerleaders were wearing those skimpy bikinis all the time to get under their skin. They had each other to always remind the other that they are loved and cherished even if no one else was there. It had always been and will always been them versus the world.

It was Thursday and time for dinner in the Berry/July household. Brittany and Santana had a family thing at Santana's house so they weren't able to come by and spend the day with the girls but were going to try and come over later to stay the night and be there all day tomorrow. The next was a big day for them all seeing as they would start interviewing potential nannies for Beth. Not having the two cheerleaders over was just fine by the little family of three. Blake and Rachel decided to use that as time to bond more with Beth. Rachel and Blake thought it was imperative that Beth knew about the wonderful world of video gaming. It was never too young to start on training to become a master at gaming in their minds. So they spent the day playing videos games or watching videos of others playing video games.

It wasn't until dinner time that the two best friends had realized that they had completely skipped lunch and were starving. Rachel took it upon herself and decided that she would go get dinner that night. She decided once she was in town that she would get pizza; one large meat lovers (much to Rachel's annoyance) and one medium vegan pizza. Luckily for her stomach it didn't take long for the pizzas to finish and she was headed back home in less than 40 minutes. Rachel heard her stomach growl and decided to take a shortcut on a back road wanting to get home as fast as possible. The smell of cooked pizza and the fact that she hadn't eaten since breakfast also played a huge role in why she wanted to hurry and get home.

As she was driving in her black Mercedes SUV down a back road that didn't get a lot of traffic she noticed a figure standing next to a truck and kicking it. Rachel, being a Good Samaritan, pulled over to offer her assistance to the driver. The truck was a Red Ford F150 and she could have sworn she'd seen this truck before but couldn't remember where she had seen it. Rachel pulled over and got out of her SUV.

"Hi sorry to bother you but I was wondering if I could offer my assistance." Rachel greeted loudly with her signature smile. The figured looked up at her and groaned.

"Fuck, really Rachel Berry of all fucking people."

Rachel instantly recognized the voice and the person it belonged to.

**A/N: Next time we find out who owns the truck and what happens there. A fight between Rachel and Blake and Some brittberry fluff.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. I no longer have a working laptop so I have to go to the library and use the computers there to get things done. Hopefully I'll be able to get my laptop fixed soon but IDK no funds to do so. I'll get chapters out to you as soon as I can. Hope you enjoy this one.**

**Also this is unbeta'd. I had a beta but IDK what happened so all mistakes are my own. **

**Chapter 6**

Rachel took a deep breath and sent a silent prayer up to God that she didn't commit murder on this back road. Rachel couldn't believe her luck that somehow Dave Karofsky ended up being the person standing in front of her. This guy was one of the many bullies that went to McKinley. David and a few of his friends would slushie Rachel on a daily basis sometimes multiple times a day. He had even tossed her into the dumpsters on the side of the school several times all while spewing his hatred for the LGBT+ community. Rachel felt bad saying this but she was lucky in a sense because he never went as far with her as he had with Kurt Hummel. Dave had spray painted her car with fag spawn and other derogatory statements a few times but he had never gotten physical with her as he had with Kurt.

Rachel had very little tolerance and patience to deal with Dave at the moment. It didn't help that she is extremely hungry which made her even grumpier than usual. David in her eyes is one of the biggest homophobic assholes she has ever had the displeasure of knowing and meeting. He was an extremely close second to Russell Fabray. David was the sole reason Kurt left them for the Warblers last year. David made it his mission to harass and bully Kurt on a daily basis. Rachel had witnessed days where the football player would actually search for Kurt just to taunt, tease, and harass the other gleek. There was nowhere that Kurt could hide to get away and the teachers never did anything to stop it. They just turned a blind eye to it all, just like they did for Finn and his grades. They were football players and the teachers praised them even though they sucked and had only won 6 games total in the last four years.

"Hey David, what's the problem here?" Rachel asked just managing to keep the vemon out of her voice.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about Manhands." David sneered, "I don't why you came over here anyway."

Rachel took a step back, closed her eyes, and counted to ten. She was offering to help this asshole and he was being a dick to her. She really wanted to just get in her SUV, drive home, and eat pizza.

"Look, just tell me what the problem is so we can fix it and be on our way." Rachel said after a few moments.

"I don't need your help stubbles. Now leave." David snapped back. Rachel was seriously starting to lose her patience.

"Stubbles really you can't come up with your own insults now. Look, just tell me what the fuck is wrong so I can help you and be on my merry way. It's not that fucking hard to accept help." Rachel retorted.

Dave stood in shock for a few moments he couldn't believe that Rachel Berry had just cursed at him. He can honestly say that he had never heard the little diva curse before this moment. Dave took in the girl's appearance in and noticed that she wasn't dressed in the clothes that she normally wore to school but the brunette singer was currently dressed in well normal clothes. Rachel had on a pair of board shorts, a black t-shirt that read '"That's what" – She' in white on the front of it, and flip flops. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail and she didn't have any make-up on, not that he noticed of course.

"Wow Berry trying to be cool now." Dave said with a smirk. Rachel rolled her eyes and tilted her head back while taking a deep breath.

"Cut the bullshit David we have nothing to talk about. I should have gotten in my car and left the moment that I knew it was you but nooooo…. I have to be a good person and now I'm standing here offering to help you. When in all honestly I'd really rather hit you with my car and bury the body so I can get home and eat because I'm beyond hungry at this point. So tell me what the fuck is wrong with your truck or I'm leaving you out here alone on this deserted road." Rachel gritted out as she glared at David.

David could only stand there gapping at Rachel. He had honestly never seen the brunette singer so upset and angry. He could see the anger in her eyes and thought better then snapping back for fear the tiny brunette would actually kill him and bury his body. He could actually see that Rachel was indifferent to helping him or killing him and that frightened him more than he'd ever care to admit.

"Umm well… you see… I umm… don't know what's wrong actually… I think… Well I think I'm out of gas." David replied after a few moments of staring at Rachel.

"Jeez fucking Louise was that so damn hard? Alright well put the key in the ignition and try to start it. I need to hear what sound it makes before figuring out what's wrong." Rachel instructed. David quickly shook his head,

"Uhh that's o.k. I'll figure it and call my dad or someone to come get Me." he replied. Rachel narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"David, give me the fucking keys and move." She ordered through clenched teeth.

"K...k...keys are in… in the… umm… truck already." The boy quickly moved out of the way as Rachel made her way to the cab of his truck before looking down at the ground not wanting to see the look on Rachel's face once she opened the door.

Rachel just wanted to help and be on her way. She should have been home 30 minutes ago with food. It was her night to bathe Beth and sing her to sleep and she was going to miss it and if you add that on top of being famished you had one grumpy and irritable Rachel. The grumpy teen stormed past David and made her way to the front of the truck. She pulled open the driver side door and was meet with a sight of clothes and empty food containers everywhere. If she didn't know better she'd swear David was living out of his truck but that couldn't be right. Rachel turned back to look at David who had taken a sudden interest in the ground.

"Umm David what's going on?" Rachel asked. Dave could hear the concern in the other teen's voice.

"I don't know what you are talking about Berry." Dave replied without looking up at the brunette singer. Rachel knew yelling wasn't coming to help so she licked her lips and tried again,

"Dave, I'm going to be blunt and just ask; Are you living out of your truck?"

Dave stopped breathing for a second. He gave a single nod of his head confirming Rachel's worries. He waited for Rachel to start laughing and making fun of him like he had (and probably would have) done to her so many times before. He didn't look up or move, just stood stiff and waiting.

The first question that came to Rachel's mind was; why is Dave living out of his truck? She knew his family was still around because she'd seen his father, David Sr., at Breadsticks a few days ago when she and Brittany went to pick up an order. It didn't add up there was something she was missing. The second things is what is up with parents from this area and kicking their child out of their home? It wasn't the first or even the fifth time that this had happened. It was absurd, awful, and unimaginable. How heartless would you have to be? Rachel couldn't imagine ever getting so upset with Beth that she would kick her out no matter what the little girl would get up to when she was older. There wasn't anything Rachel wouldn't do for the little girl who already meant so much to Rachel.

"Why aren't you staying at a friend's house then?" Rachel asked after a few moments. David looked up at Rachel and then back at the ground before quietly answering,

"Because… I'd have to tell them why I was kicked out in the first place."

Rachel couldn't help but scrunch up her face in confusion. What could be so bad that the boy couldn't go to his friends? They were his friends after all right, his teammates. They should have his back no matter what. That's what friendship was about always being there no matter what. Rachel knew that Blake would help her hide a body if she asked and even kill for her. She would complain about doing it but would still do it.

Rachel had noticed the football player's body start to tremble and could hear soft little sniffles coming from him. She was not prepared for this but she couldn't just leave him like this here. If only she'd kept driving or gotten in her truck and left earlier. She couldn't believe she was about to do this.

Rachel walked closer to Dave and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. David stiffened before slowing relaxing into the embrace but not returning it. He was grateful for what Rachel was doing although he didn't understand it. Why wasn't she being mean and laughing at him because he deserved it for all the shit he pulled ever since the little singer moved to Lima.

After a few moments Rachel stepped back giving the football player some space.

"Dave, why were you kicked out?" Rachel asked softly. Dave started laughing bitterly. He knew she'd want to know the answer to that but could he actually say it out loud.

"Look… Dave I know that we aren't friends or anything but… I can help you out. I… Well I need to know what is going on to do that. I need to know the full story." Rachel added after a few moments of silence.

Dave stood for a few more moments trying to gather his thoughts. He had hidden from his friends basically dropping off the face of the earth to avoid having to tell them what was going on. However he knew that he couldn't survive living in his truck much longer. He had run out of money yesterday and would run out of food eventually. Rachel could help him and if he wanted that help than he knew that he had no other choice but to tell the tiny singer.

Dave doubted that Rachel would just give up so easily in helping him either. He had noticed that about her over the years. The brunette singer is stubborn, persistent, and always willing to help anyone. It also helped that he knew that Rachel wouldn't judge him she had to gay dads, so she'd understand. Also telling her could mean a hot meal and an actual bed to sleep in. Dave took a deep breath to calm his nerves before answering.

_(Flashback to a month ago)_

_David Karofsky Jr. walked into his house after spending the day at his best friend's, Azimio, house playing video games. As Dave made his way down the hall he noticed how silent the house seemed to be but didn't think anything of it. His parents and siblings were probably out back or something. He continued through the house and down the hall to his room where he noticed his bedroom door was pushed open. He stopped for a second with a confused look on his face because he was positive that he had closed and locked his door this morning before leaving. He didn't want his parents snooping around his room and finding things he never wanted anyone to know about well at least yet. _

_As he pushed the door fully open and walked into his room he noticed his father sitting on his bed. His dad was holding a pamphlet that Ms. Pillsbury had given him about being gay and scared and a box, full of magazines and posters that he'd bought online and thought he had hidden well, sitting in front of him. _

_Dave gasped out and was about to ask what was going on but his dad had looked up at him and the anger, disbelief, and disgust in his father's eyes stopped the words in his throat. He had only ever seen that look on his dad's face when he talked about the _  
_Berry's or Ellen DeGeneres and Dave also knew that nothing he said would get him out of this one. Before Dave knew it his dad had him pinned to the wall by his throat. _

_"Don't even try to lie or explain because I already know everything you disgusting freak. A work buddy came up to me today to tell me that he was in Columbus with some friends at a bar last Saturday and he swore he saw you coming out of a known gay bar across the street. I told him he had to be mistaken because you were at Noah Puckerman's party that night at least that's what you told us. He swore up and down that it was you that he had seen. I had to prove him wrong so I came home and your mother and I broke into your room. We searched and stripped the entire room and found these disgusting vile things hidden under your bed in a case." David Sr. sneered out his eyes burning with rage._

_Dave dropped to his knees from pain as his father punched him in the stomach before grabbing his hair and pulling his head up so they were face to face. _

_"How dare you bring this sin into my house?" David Sr. screamed before punching Dave in the face. _

_"How dare you bring this kind of shame on my family?" David Sr. sneered as he kicked Dave in the stomach. _

_David Sr. landed a few more punches and kicked Dave one last time before moving around Dave's room throwing everything he could into trash bags. Dave was use to the occasional abuse from his father but this was ten times worst. He had never experienced his father losing control like this. Dave honestly lost count of the number of blows his father had landed. He could barely move and every part of him hurt. He could only lay there and watch as his father packed his things and carried them out of the room._

_It took five trash bags and two trips for all of Dave's stuff to be packed and out of the house. David Sr. came back into the room and grabbed Dave by his shirt lifting him off the ground and dragging him out of the room toward the front door ad out of the house. _

_"You are no longer my son." David Sr. began once they were out of the house as he continued to drag Dave across the yard towards his truck. _

_"I won't have someone that brings shame and sin to this family. I won't have a faggot living in my house around my family infecting them with his gayness. You leave and never come back. Never contact us. Now get out of here before I really hurt you." David Sr. finished shoving Dave into his truck before turning and walking back inside not looking back once. _

_Dave looked up at his childhood home with tears streaming down his face. The only home he had ever known and loved even though it was broken and hectic at times. Dave noticed his parents' bedroom blind open and close shut and a glimpse of gold seep through. There was only one blonde in the house and that was his mother. That meant that the woman had been in the house and hadn't done anything to stop this. She hid in her room while his father kicked him out. Dave noticed the front door start to open again and quickly started his truck and drove off. He knew his father and knew that the man would follow through with his words. _

_Dave had luckily stashed some money away in his glove compartment and had enough for a hotel and some food. He was able to stay a week in the hotel before money was short and he was forced to sleep in his truck. He started doing odd jobs like cutting grass and washing cars to earn money to eat and for gas. _

_(End Flashback)_

Rachel was humming with rage and disgust that a parent could attack and abandon their child like that because they were gay. It made no sense and in her eyes one of the worst things that anyone could do. A parent was supposed to love, care, and protect their child not turn their backs on them when the child didn't turn out the way the parent wanted them to. Seriously was there something in the water in this stupid town that made parents of the worst kind. Rachel looked at Dave then his truck and made a decision.

"Grab your stuff and put it in the backseat." Rachel stated firmly. Dave whipped his head up and locked his puffy red eyes with Rachel's brown orbs.

"Are you serious right now, after everything... is this some joke or... No I can't do that, I don't deserve it." Dave started to ramble out. Rachel lifted her hand and held it in front of Dave who instantly stopped talking.

"Look, Dave I'm hungry and tired and you don't have anywhere else to go. You are out of gas and stuck on this back road that very few cars travel on. You'll be stuck out here for days sleeping in your hot truck with probably no food. You can choose to stay here or you could choose to grab what you need and put it in my truck and come to my house. A house that has more than enough room for you to join me and that also has a bed, food, and a shower. No offense, but you really need one right now." Rachel joked getting a small smile for the other teen.

"So stop arguing with me and get your shit and get in the fucking truck… please."

Dave saw the seriousness in Rachel's eyes and thought better then to argue with the pint-size singer. He quickly grabbed some of his stuff while Rachel made her way to the SUV. He couldn't believe that Rachel was actually helping him well he could but he didn't understand it. He had been a horrible person to well everyone but mostly to Rachel and one of her best friends so why would she want to help him. He didn't understand it but he wasn't going to ask questions either. He didn't want the singer to change her mind and leave him stranded.

"Don't forget to lock it up we'll come get it later." Rachel yelled out the window from the driver seat as she picked up her cell phone.

Rachel had a few text messages from Blake, a couple from Brittany and one from Santana. She knew she'd been gone for almost two hours now and hadn't been in contact. She riddled a couple of replies to each girl ensuring them she was o.k. and would be home shortly. She also knew that she would have to bring back something extra before going home. There was no way that Blake wouldn't worry and be upset that Rachel had disappeared for a couple of hours with no word.

After Dave finished loading his stuff and climbed into the passenger Rachel pulled a U-turn and headed back into town.

"I thought you lived in the other direction?" Dave asked after a few moments. Rachel nodded before responding

"I gotta go pick up a few things that I had forgotten to grab early."

It was another 30 minutes before Rachel made it home. She had to go back into town and get another pizza, a huge bag of Reese's, find a few boxes of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies and Oreos, and a couple jars of peanut butter for Blake. She had also gotten a bunch of Brittany and Santana's favorite things because she knew that they be upset with her for making them worry. Rachel knew the potential blow out that was about to happen and wanted to soften the blow as much as she could.

As Rachel entered the house with the bags of stuff and Dave behind her Blake came out of the living room. The taller girl didn't look happy at all.

"Dude, where the fuck were…?" Blake started too ask but stopped when she noticed a huge guy standing behind Rachel. Her face instantly scrunched up in confusion. She was sure Rachel had left to get pizza… how did she end up with this guy, several bags of other things (at least one bag she was certain was from Breadsticks), and several trash bags that seemed to be filled with stuff also.

Rachel saw the look on Blake's face and decided to wait until after buttering her up to tell her who Dave really was. Rachel knew that Dave was one of the few people Blake swore she would beat the shit out of if she ever came face to face with. And Rachel couldn't blame her but Dave was in a bad place and she had the means and will to help him.

"I know… I know… I was gone forever but DK here was broke down on the side of the road and needed help and I figured I'd help out." Rachel stated looking at Dave to convey with her eyes for him to go along with what she was saying. Dave had a look of slight confusion on his face before he nodded in agreement. He didn't know why Rachel called him DK or why she seemed a little tense but he would agree to anything she asked since she was giving him somewhere to sleep and food to eat.

Blake nodded, muttered her name, and then grabbed the bag of food before making her way back to the living room. She was starving and needed to text Brittany and Santana that Rachel was home finally. Blake noticed the extra bags which seemed to be filled with some of her, Santana, and Brittany's favorite things but thought Rachel just felt bad for making them worry.

"I'll explain everything later just follow my lead. You can leave your stuff right here for now." Rachel whispered before following after Blake.

Dave nodded in response and followed behind Rachel while trying to take in as much of the house as possible. He had never been inside of Rachel's house before. He knew what the outside looked like because he and a few of the other football players would egg or TP the house. Realizing that Rachel still wanted to help him out even after everything that he had done to her made him feel extremely small.

The three teens were sitting in the living room, eating pizza (Blake was eating Reese's like there was no tomorrow), and watching the first Spiderman when they heard the front door open and close. They looked up just as Brittany followed closely by Santana walked into the living room. Both girls froze at the site of Dave Karofsky sitting on the couch with a slice of pizza in his hand. Rachel didn't think she'd have to deal with the cheerleaders tonight and was hoping that neither said anything when that bubble of hope shattered when Santana's face scrunched up in anger and confusion.

"What the fuck is Karofsky doing here?" Santana nearly yelled out.

Rachel didn't answer but instead turned to face her best friend. She watched as Blake realized the name and who the person sitting on the couch with them was. Rachel had described Dave to Blake before and told her about all the things that he had done. She knew her best friend had figured out who "DK" was and the fire in her eyes showed just how unhappy she was about this.

Blake knew only one Karofsky that Rachel talked about and that was Dave Karofsky one of the biggest bullies at McKinley. She couldn't fathom why Rachel would have brought this homophobic asshole into their home. As she opened her mouth to speak Rachel grabbed her hand told the others they needed to talk in private and drug Blake into the kitchen.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Blake asked her voice rising with each word as soon as they entered the kitchen and Rachel released her arms. Rachel took a deep breath before grabbing Blake again and dragging her outside knowing that they couldn't be too loud otherwise Beth would be woken up.

"Look it's a long story but he got kicked out of his house and sleeping in his truck. I couldn't just leave him." Rachel tried to explain. Blake laughed humorlessly before speaking,

"And I'm supposed to give a fuck why. That asshole deserves it after everything he's done to you. Beside you yourself said and I quote 'Dave Karofsky is such a homophobic asshole and bigot that I wouldn't piss on fire to put him out' end quote and now you want to what let him stay here."

Rachel didn't say anything and Blake knew the answer already.

"He's not staying here. I'm not letting that happen. He fucking bullied you and made your life hell. And did you forget about Beth? We can't risk her being taken and not to mention he's a fucking prick, so I veto that." Blake stated firmly. Rachel rubbed her temple because she could feel a headache forming. She knew that Blake would be upset but she didn't think the other girl would be like this.

"Look I get your upset Blake but he doesn't have anywhere else to go and I can't let him stay out on the streets. It's not right and you know it. I can help him and so I'm going to… we're going to help him." Rachel replied as she stared into her best friend's eyes.

"What I know is that that guy in there has slushied you, threw you into a dumpster, and vandalized your things. What I know is that it's taking everything in me not to beat the shit out of him for all the things he has done to you. What I know is that I'm not letting that asshole stay here because I don't trust him and neither should you. He hurt you Rachel and I can't look past that. And I also know that we can't afford anyone finding out about Beth not until after everything is final." Blake countered back.

Blake couldn't understand how Rachel could want to help someone like that. She knew that Rachel always looked for the best in people and wanted to help when she could. I mean Rachel is still friends with her after all the shit she's pulled and been through so she could kind of understand what Rachel was saying but she didn't get why him. Why help someone who had made it his mission in life to make Rachel's life absolute hell. That was something that Blake couldn't understand.

Blake didn't understand how Rachel wasn't seething in anger at the mere thought of Karofsky being in their home, their safe place. The fact that Dave was in the same house as her little family was sending waves of immense anger through her body. She didn't want the boy anywhere near Rachel, Beth, or the two cheerleaders who had wormed their way into Blake's heart also..

Yeah it was Blake's idea to keep the little girl but Rachel had been the one who had jumped head first into putting a plan together to guarantee that they would be able to keep Beth. Yeah everyone contributed but Rachel was the lead in this. It was Rachel's idea to not mention Beth to anyone that wasn't already in the household as extra precaution and now she wanted to add another person to the equation. A person that Rachel had said herself she would never understand or like. It was bad enough they had to hire a nanny soon and lie to her but adding another person was too risky.

"Are you not thinking about Beth and what would happen if this asshole talked because from what you've told me he will? I'll tell you what will happen they will take her Rachel and I'm not risking that. Not to mention what happens when school starts and he goes back to treating you like shit. I can't risk you or Beth getting hurt and I won't. So he can't stay I won't allow it." Blake added after a few moments.

"Look I know what I've said but he's not that person. He was hiding things like we all are and was lashing out. He's different and he's great at keeping secrets because I didn't even pick up on the one he was hiding. I want to give him a chance Blake. He has nowhere to go and I can't promise you anything about school but I think things will be different especially with me… with us helping him out." Rachel said in an attempt to reason with her stubborn friend. She was hoping by letting Blake vent the taller girl would get everything out and then see reason but Rachel was starting to lose her patience.

"I don't care about him at all. I care about you, about Beth, Brittany, and Santana. I care about this little family we've built…our own little family. I care about keeping everyone safe and together. I won't risk it and I don't want him here. I'm sure that Brittany and Santana would agree with me. It's too risky." Blake snapped back.

Rachel took a deep breath before looking at her best friend. She could tell Blake was fighting the urge to strangle her. She understood the girl's anger but she couldn't, in her heart, kick him out. She knew it was risky and that things could go terribly wrong but she saw the inside of his truck and the hurt and pain in Dave's eyes and couldn't leave him out there alone. She had to be the better person and show Dave a kindness that he had probably never been shown in his life. This was a chance to help someone become a better person and accept himself while providing a safe place for him to blossom and grow.

"Look Blake this isn't up for discussion and if I want him here then he stays." Rachel stated firmly after a few moments. She was done arguing about this because nothing would change her mind. Dave was going to be staying with them for the foreseeable future and Blake needed to understand that.

"I refuse to stay in a house with him Rachel. I can look past the shit Santana and Brittany pulled because you always said that it wasn't as bad what others had done. Not to mention once they joined glee club they stopped and stopped the other Cheerios from slushing you and the other gleeks. Besides they never physically hurt you and he has. He was the worst of the worst and I'm not going to allow him to stay here. I won't allow him another chance to hurt you ever again. Not while I'm here and can do something about it. It's my job to protect you and make sure you don't do something stupid. This in my opinion is something stupid." Blake retorted just as firmly not looking away from Rachel's eyes.

Rachel took an involuntary step back at Blake's words. She understood that Blake wanted to protect her but Rachel was capable of making her own decisions. She didn't need Blake to protect her like when they were little kids. She could protect herself and could make decisions on her own. Rachel couldn't help the anger that flared up at Blake's words and the implication that she wasn't capable of taking care of herself. She had been doing it for years now without anyone's help and she would continue to do so. This wasn't a stupid decision maybe a hasty one or an impromptu one but not a stupid one. She was basically saving someone's life right now and that was never a stupid decision in her opinion.

"It's not a stupid decision nor is it your decision to make Blake. This is my house not yours, if you can't handle it then you can always go back to New York where you have a home with your mom. David doesn't have that and I have the room to provide it. You don't get to make decisions for me. I'm not a little kid and I can make the right chooses for my damn self. I don't need you to fucking protect me. I don't need or want you making decision for me. I've been doing just fine on my own without you or anyone else here for the last four years." Rachel snapped back.

Rachel was breathing heavily once she finished her little speech. A few moments later her mouth dropped open as she realized what she had just said. She instantly knew that she had just crossed a line and said some things that she shouldn't have. She hadn't meant to snap or say the things that she had well she hadn't meant for them to come out the way they had sounded. But in her defense Blake was being unreasonable and wouldn't stop for ten seconds and listen. If Blake hadn't been her hot-headed self and had listened to Rachel than she wouldn't have lost her cool and said those things.

Blake's body stiffened, her face went emotionless, and her eyes unreadable. Rachel was about to apologize and try to explain what she really meant but Blake never gave her the chance. The taller teen immediately turned around without responding and walked back into the house. She continued through the kitchen, down the hall, and walked right out of the front door without saying a word to anyone.

"Blake, stop, wait." Rachel called out as she began to follow the other girl out. Santana quickly grabbed Rachel's arm before shaking her head and running after Blake herself. The brunette cheerleader knew that Rachel's presence wouldn't help at the moment but also didn't want Blake to be out alone.

Santana ran as fast as she could to catch up with Blake which didn't take much. The curly haired teen had made it out of the driveway and a few feet down the sidewalk. Once Santana finally caught up to Blake she didn't say anything only nudged the other girl with her shoulder to let her know that she wasn't alone and they could talk when she was ready. One of the many things Santana had learned about the other girl was that she wouldn't talk if she was truly upset about something. The best thing to do in that situation was to let Blake come to you when she was ready to talk about whatever was bothering her.

Rachel stood in the hallway staring at the door that her best friend and Santana had just walked out of. Rachel really hoped that Santana had caught up with Blake so that her best friend wasn't alone. Rachel understood that her words came out wrong but Blake also had to realize that she was being unreasonable. Rachel could honestly say that she wished that she hadn't let her anger get the best of her in this situation. Rachel knows that Blake has to vent out all of her anger and fears before she will even listen to anything anyone else has to say. Blake has always been a react first type of person and Rachel the think first type.

Rachel took a deep breath and shook her head. There was nothing she could do about it now. She'd just have to wait for Blake to come to her so that they could really talk this entire situation out. The brunette turned around and immediately spotted Brittany standing in the middle of the staircase with a very much awake Beth in her arms. The brunette singer groaned once she realized that she and Blake had been yelling outside and it must have woken Beth up.

Brittany just nodded behind her before turning and heading back upstairs. Rachel instantly knew that she should follow the blonde cheerleader even if she didn't want to. She honestly didn't want to listen to someone else tell her that she was making the wrong decision with letting Dave stay here. Rachel slowly made her way up the stairs.

"We're in your room." Brittany called out letting Rachel know where they were. Rachel made her way into the room and Brittany handed Beth to her. The little girl grumbled and scrunched her little face up in annoyance. She didn't like it when her sleep was interrupted at all.

Rachel instantly took Beth and sat on the edge of her bed before moving up to rest against the headboard. Brittany followed Rachel's action and took a seat next to her resting her head on Rachel's shoulder. Neither teen spoke as Rachel began to hum and softly rock Beth. Brittany softly hummed along with Rachel as they watched the little girl slowly drift back to sleep. Rachel couldn't help but let her body relax into Brittany's. She couldn't explain it but just being next to Brittany allowed her to relax and let go of the stress of the day.

After another ten minutes of humming and rocking Beth had finally fell back asleep. Both teens were a little surprised because it usually took much longer to get the baby back to sleep. Brittany placed a kiss on the baby's forehead before Rachel slowly slid off the bed. The brunette singer quietly walked over to Beth's room and laid the baby girl down into her crib. Rachel grabbed Beth's favorite penguin stuffy and placed it next to the baby before covering her with a blanket. Rachel lightly brushed the little blonde curls from Beth's face as she leaned down over the crib.

"I would never do anything to put you or our family in jeopardy. I love you so much already and will fight with everything in me to make sure that you never have to leave us. I know taking Dave in will be a bit risky but it's the right thing to do. And we have to set the example for you so that you will always do what is right in life. I love you Mini B." Rachel whispered before placing a kiss on Beth's forehead.

Rachel turned and made sure the baby monitor and lamp were on before walking out of Beth's room. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath before heading back towards her room where she knew Brittany was waiting for her. Rachel noticed that Brittany was no longer sitting on her bed but standing and looking t the many quotes that Rachel had on her wall. Rachel made her way over and sat on the edge of bed. Brittany turned once she heard Rachel sit down and made her way over to sit on the floor in front of the brunette. Neither girl spoke for several moments neither really knowing what to say to be honest.

Rachel was the first one to break the silence because she really needed to get everything off of her chest.

"I made the right choice in bringing him here and I didn't mean the things I said to come out that way."

"I know." Brittany replied.

"It's just Dave's going through so much right now and needs a safe place to stay. I know he's a huge dick who can't be trusted nor does he really deserve my help but I have to be the bigger person ya know. I don't know his whole life story but I know enough to understand why he was and acted the way he did. It's his story to tell but I know he can be a great guy if given the chance. I have this feeling that he could be an amazing person if given the right environment to thrive in." Rachel continued on, Brittany only humming in acknowledgement.

"And Blake was being so fucking stubborn and not listening to me. She was being her usual act first and think things out later self. I mean I know she wants to protect me and keep Beth safe but she isn't the only one that gets to make decisions around her. I love her to death but I'm not that much younger than she is and I've been making decisions for myself for a while now on my own. I know that if she had stopped and listened then she would have understood why we needed to give Dave this chance. I know I should have worded things differently but I was so pissed that she'd basically told me that I was stupid and needed someone else to hold my hand and make decision for me."

Brittany took a deep breath and grabbed ahold of Rachel's hands. Squeezing them between her own promptly ending Rachel's rant. She waited until Rachel looked from the floor, to their joined hands, and finally up making eye contact before speaking.

"Blake is a lot like Santana in the fact that once they claim the role of protector they think they get final say in things. And when the people they consider themselves the protectors of go against what they say it makes them feel less needed. It's hard for them to accept that we are no longer the little kids who needed them to protect us from bullies or life itself. They've been in that role so long that it's hard to let go and take that step back and let us do things on our own. Their first instinct is to protect us and make sure that nothing can hurt us or cause us pain."

Rachel nodded to let Brittany know that she was following along to what she was saying. Rachel had seen it herself over the years where Santana would become upset with Brittany for making a decision that Santana didn't like. Now that Rachel knows the nature of their relationship she realized that Santana wasn't jealous of Brittany dating Artie but more worried for what would happen to the blonde cheerleader. Artie is a gleek and Brittany is the ditzy cheerleader that everyone wanted to make fun of but knew better because Santana would destroy them. It had to be nerve wrecking for Santana because she had no idea if everyone would continue to leave Brittany alone or go after her because she was with Artie.

"I honestly believe that Blake is worried that something will happen to you. She doesn't want you to get hurt or Beth to be taken away from us. I mean think about it the four of us are involved and now we're going to be adding a nanny to the equation. We're already going to be lying to this nanny and now we have Dave to think about. Dave living here adds another factor into things that we just don't know the outcome of. I'm just going to say it now; I don't trust Dave at all. I know how much of an asshole he can be to save face but I do trust you and your judgment and I know Blake does as well. So give Blake time to cool down and don't worry San's got her she won't let her do anything stupid." Brittany finished smiling up at Rachel only getting a nod in response.

Rachel had heard Brittany's words but they weren't registering in her brain. She wanted to believe that Brittany was on her side and understood where she was coming from but if her own best friend didn't understand than how could Brittany. It didn't make sense to her because Brittany really had no reason to be on her side or understanding. Brittany, and Santana for that matter, could both decide to just walk away from all of this and leave Rachel and Blake to deal with things on their own. Rachel honestly had no way of knowing if Brittany really meant what she said or was just saying them to make Rachel feel better.

Brittany could tell that Rachel was listening to her but not believing what she was saying. The blonde cheerleader knew that she had to get Rachel to believe her so that the other girl would stop worrying so much. There was only one thing Brittany could do to get Rachel to listen to her and that was for Brittany to confess her true feelings. She knew that she was about to take a huge risk and put herself out there in a way that she had never done before but she needed the small brunette to know that she understood and was on her side.

"Rae… please believe me when I say that I'm on your side and support your decision." Brittany began. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the little nickname that Brittany had called her. She squeezed the hands in hers to let the blonde know that she was listening and following along.

"I get why you did it. Dave told us he got kicked out and you were letting him crash here and I knew that you wouldn't do that if it weren't something serious. I know that you put aside your dislike of him to be the bigger person and help someone who was truly in need. I also know that you didn't make this decision lightly. Yeah it may have been a spur of the moment thing but I know that you didn't have a lot of options and bringing him here was the best choice." Brittany added on before pausing and taking a deep breathe. Here it goes the moment of truth.

"You are so caring, selfless, forgiving, and so many other amazing traits. It amazes me every day just how astonishing and remarkable you are as a person. That big heart of yours and the way that you are willing to help out anyone in need is one of many things I really… really lov...like and adore about you. It's one of the many reasons I… umm… like you so much." Brittany confessed shyly.

Rachel could only sit with her mouth open. She was completely speechless, which was something that seemed happen all the time when the blonde cheerleader was around. Did Brittany just confess to possibly liking her? No that couldn't be it she had to have meant as just a friend right. But the fact that a blush had covered most of Brittany's upper body and face along with the fact that the cheerleader refused to look up at her said otherwise. Rachel had to look into Brittany's eyes to see if she was telling the truth.

She reached down and lifted Brittany's chin up until their eyes connected. Rachel couldn't help but gasp at the many emotions she noticed flashing within those beautiful blue eyes she adores so much. The brunette could see fear, longing, honesty, and something else she couldn't put a name to just yet. Rachel knew in that moment that Brittany was a) telling the truth and b) confessing to having more than friendly feelings toward her which she honestly couldn't believe.

I mean Brittany Susan Pierce the blonde goddess and co-captain to of Cheerios who could have anyone she wanted at a drop of the hat had just confessed to liking Rachel Barbara Berry the captain of glee club and the biggest loser at McKinley. How was she supposed to believe that? No one besides Finn had ever really shown interest in her. Rachel was getting ready to ask Brittany if she was serious when Brittany started speaking again while never breaking eye contact.

"Look I know that's a huge bomb to drop on you tonight and I'm not expecting anything to happen like right now but I don't want to hide my feelings anymore. I don't want to have to pretend and hold myself back from touching you and maybe hopefully one day kissing you when I want to. Now that you know I'm willing to wait and be patient with you Rachel. I promise I'm not going anywhere. There is nothing that you can say or do that will drive me away. I've gotten a glimpse of the real Rachel and I like what I see a whole lot. I don't plan on ever letting you go. So know that I do like you as in more than a friend and that I would like to see where things go between us but I'm willing to wait as long as you need. I like how things are going now with us getting to know each other and hope that it'll progressive from there that is if you like me back."

Rachel couldn't help the shit eating grin that appeared on her face as she listened to Brittany's words. She can honestly say that she has been dreaming and daydreaming (not that anyone needed to know that last part) of this moment. Of the moment that Brittany would confess to having feelings for Rachel as well. It was seriously like her birthday, Christmas, and meeting Barbara Streisand all in one.

"God that felt so good to finally get off my chest." Brittany said as she let out the breath that she had been holding for what felt like forever.

Brittany would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. She was positive that Rachel could hear her heart pounding away in her chest. Rachel hadn't said anything in response but she hadn't looked away from Brittany either. Plus she had this huge grin on her face as though she'd just been told the greatest news ever. Brittany could tell that the tiny singer had a million thoughts running through her mind because she could easily read it on her face.

"Look you don't have to say anything right now. Just… just think about it and let everything I said soak in. I know you have a ton of things on your mind and like I said earlier I'm willing to wait as long as it takes. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Brittany reiterated.

Rachel took a deep breathe to clear her jumbled brain and nodded her head in response. She was worried about her best friend, Beth, Santana, and then there was now Dave who still downstairs to worry about. She had always wanted to hear Brittany say that she had feelings for her but her jumbled brain wouldn't let her focus on just that which in turn left her basically speechless. Rachel gave Brittany's hand a squeeze and a small smile. She didn't need to use words knowing the little action would speak just as loud as her words would if she had any. Brittany squeezed back and beamed one of her brightest smiles back at Rachel letting the other girl know that she understood.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing again. The two girls knew that meant that Blake and Santana had returned. They walked out of Rachel's room and headed back down the stairs. Brittany slipped her hand into Rachel's hand to let her know that she wasn't alone and Brittany was there. Once the two teens made it into the living room they noticed that Dave and Santana were sitting on the couch watching TV. Rachel opened her mouth to question Santana but stopped when the Latina raised her hand.

"Short version she understands what she did wrong and that you didn't mean what you said. I don't really need to say this but just give her time Tiny and she'll cool off and come to you. You know better than anyone just how stubborn she is. Also you need to know that I may not like your decision but I support you and have your back no matter what." Santana spoke easing some of Rachel's worry. Rachel nodded in response before speaking,

"Thank you San… I…well just thank you. I'm beyond tired so I'm going to bed. Dave you can pick any room that's down here with a bed for tonight and we'll get you fully settled in tomorrow. Girls you know where your rooms are. Good night to you all."

Rachel turned and hugged Brittany holding onto the tall blonde a little longer than usual and squeezing just a little too tightly not that Brittany minded at all. Brittany squeezed Rachel back just as hard in return. Rachel walked over and gave Santana a kiss on the head before realizing what she had done. Santana could only laugh at the look on Rachel face before punching her in the arm. Rachel blushed before sending a nod in Dave's direction. She then made her way upstairs; she walked over to Blake's door and said good night before heading into her room and falling face first onto her bed. It had been a long and hard day and she just wanted to sleep.

**A/N: So that happened. I swear this chapter took on a life of its own. I do like this chapter but it was weird to write because I love the fluffy friendship between Blake/Rachel. I kinda wanna know what side people are on. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There a bit of a time skip but we get a plan and hiring a nanny. So I have a beta now and normally I'd wait for my beta to send me their revised version before I post but well today is another year closer to sixty for me and I wanted to post. So here's a my bday present for me and well for you I guess. **

**Oh and a huge thank you guys so so so so much for continuing to read this story even though it's take me a lifetime to get updates out to you guys. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get my laptop fixed soon which means regular updates for you. This story will be finished no matter what though. Because I love it so much and I hope you continue to as well. **

**All mistakes are my own. **

**Chapter 7**

To say the next day was awkward would be an understatement. There was so much tension in the air that even little Beth was feeling it and it made the little girl grumpy. If the subtle looks and one worded responses were anything to go by it was safe to assume that Blake was still upset and not happy about Dave being there. Brittany and Santana both tried their hardest to play mediator through it all but even they couldn't predict just how stubborn Blake and Rachel could, well Blake more so than Rachel but Rachel wasn't helping things much either.

Blake and Rachel would still go through their usual routine but it was now done in complete silence. Rachel and Blake did their morning workout as usual but no words were spoken Blake had walked to the room with her iPod already in and blasting loudly. Rachel scuffed when she realized that Blake was going to ignore her. She didn't want to push and she knew she had to let Blake come to her but it was annoying to know that her best friend was that stubborn. The two had fought before and it's never lasted longer than a night. It was weird for Rachel not to have Blake cracking jokes at her or correct her posture in certain movements.

Blake in all honesty knew that she was being a little ridiculous but she really didn't want Dave there and was just upset that another person that had hurt Rachel was in her presence and she couldn't do anything about it. Santana had talked to her the night before on their walk and she knew that she shouldn't have blown up like she had but she had and she didn't like it. Blake cooked breakfast for everyone including Dave without uttering one word. Once the food was on the table she would interact with Beth and even said a few words to Brittany and Santana. But the curly haired girl didn't even acknowledge Rachel or Dave other then to hand them their plate of food.

Blake not speaking to her at breakfast only pissed Rachel off more. Yeah she knows that she shouldn't have said what she had but Blake was just as much in the wrong as she was. So was does Blake get to walk about like a pissed off thirteen year old. Rachel was thankful for Brittany's presence. The taller blonde stuck by her side for most of the day just sitting on the couch and watching TV with her. Beth wasn't happy about the lack of laughter and music and refused to go to Blake or Rachel. The little girl could feel the tension in both of them and it just agitated her more that two of her favorite people weren't relaxed and laughing.

Once breakfast was finished Blake with the help of Santana cleaned the kitchen then both disappeared upstairs into Blake's room where they spent most of the day. Dave spent most of the day in his room as well not wanting to be in the way too much. He knew that Blake didn't want him there and didn't want to step on any toes. It helped that he spent most of the day washing his things even though he returned them to the trash bags. He had no idea if Rachel would let him continue to stay there if the other girl had a problem with it. And he couldn't help be that much more thankful and regretful for the way he had treated Rachel in the past. He had a room over his head, food in his belly, and clean clothes all thanks to her.

It now was 8:30 on Saturday morning. Rachel and Brittany with Beth were in the living watching a movie on Netflix. Rachel was almost giddy with all the time she had been spending with the blonde dancer. They didn't need words both just sat together and enjoyed each others presence. It also helped that Rachel knew that Brittany supported her and that made things o.k. She knew she shouldn't have used those words to get her point across to Blake but it didn't make what she said any less true and Blake had to know that. Blake she also know that Rachel has always taken the high road and helped out others no matter what. She couldn't in her heart leave Dave on the side of that road stranded with nowhere to go. If she had left him there knowing that she could have helped him than she would have been no better then he was.

Brittany could see the tension running through Rachel's body for the second day in a row and it was once again making Beth fussy and the little girl would not settle down for her morning nap. Brittany knew that she needed to get Rachel to relax so that Beth would. With silent prayer that she wasn't crossing a line and that Rachel wouldn't pull away Brittany laid her head on Rachel's shoulder and wrapped her arm around Beth and Rachel's waist. She felt Rachel stiffen a little and started rubbing soothing circles along Rachel's hip slowly draining the tension from the other girl's body. Brittany couldn't fight the smile that overtook her face as she felt Rachel relax into her more and more as the minutes ticked by. She could really get use to being with the singer like this.

After another morning or silence from Blake it was safe to say that Rachel was losing her calm. She couldn't help but replay that night over and over and her head and analyze it. It also didn't help that Beth was feeding off of the negative energy in the air and being extra fussy today which they didn't need. Rachel was brought out of her thoughts by a head being placed on her shoulder and the smell of Lavender hitting her nose. Then she felt a hand squeezing her waist and realized that their was an arm wrapped her and Beth. Once she realized that it was Brittany's head and arm, Rachel instantly stopped breathing and felt her body tense. She knew that Brittany had confessed to liking her but she didn't want to get her hopes up. However the way the blonde cheerleader had been with her last two days made her think that maybe the blonde dancer was telling the truth with her confession. No one put that much time and energy into someone they didn't have some sort of feelings for right.

Rachel could feel her body slowly begin to relax with each small circle from Brittany's hand. It kind of confused her that her body would react like this to Brittany. Yeah her body would relax when she cuddled with Blake, Mama Ju, or her dads but she had known them for most of her life. And yeah she has known Brittany for a few years now they hadn't spent much time together. Well definitely not enough for her body to be reacting the way it is. With Brittany's smell and her magic fingers Rachel felt like she turning into pudding.

"Is this o.k.?" Brittany shyly asked. She honestly didn't want to push Rachel but she refused to deny herself the luxury of cuddling up next to Rachel. She had already confessed her feelings now it was time to act on them.

Rachel nodded before letting her head rest on top of Brittany's. She took a deep breath and let herself fully relax into being cuddled by Brittany and Beth. Even with the fight and Blake not talking to her in this moment she is content. Even Beth had calmed down and beginning to fall asleep. Brittany wanted so badly to be able to do a happy dance but settled from smiling for now. Yeah she could live with and get use to this.

The two girls stayed on the couch through a couple of Disney movies before they had to get ready for the day. They had planned a week ago to sit down and go through their plan for keeping Beth, then a few of nannies scheduled to come by for interviews, and once that was all done had planned to grill and spend the day outside together. It was getting closer to the start of the school year which meant the two cheerleaders had cheerleading camp. They spend most of Sunday getting ready for Cheerios camp on Monday which meant that over the next two weeks they would be extremely busy and tired.

Rachel went to Dave's room as Brittany took Beth upstairs to her room to be laid down in her crib. Brittany had to also get Santana and Blake downstairs so they could officially get their day started. Rachel knew that Brittany would have a better chance then she would. Rachel also thought it was best to get Dave out of the house while they discussed their plan.

Rachel knocked on Dave's door and waited to be invited in. She heard a muffled, "Come In," and walked through the door. Dave hadn't done anything to the room to personalize it yet but at least his bags had been unpacked, so Rachel assumed. In truth Dave had put his bags in the closest so that they wouldn't clutter the room up. He hated having a messy bedroom and always tried to keep things organized.

"Hey so we totally forgot about your truck and we need some things for the grill so I was thinking that you can take the SUV go into town and get the things we need and call a tow truck, get your truck, and have it towed back here." Rachel stated once she was fully in the room.

Dave was stunned for a few seconds. He been preparing himself for when Rachel came to tell him to get his shit and leave but she wanted him to go grocery shopping and to get his truck and bring it back here.

"Yeah I can do that. Just give me a list and well money of course and I'm your man. And Rachel." Dave responded after a few moments. He took a deep breath because he need to calm himself down. He had been planning this little speech all night and didn't want to mess it up.

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what I did to you. I know that it's not enough and I know that it'll take more than an apology to make up for everything that I have done. I let the anger I felt for my dad and the need to fit in and hide myself fuel my actions. That's not an excuse but a reason. And I'm starting to realize that if I had given you a chance and stood up for you that we could have been friends. I know I can be a better person than who I was and you are giving me that chance. I mean even after all the things I've done you still took me and gave me a place to stay when you didn't have to and I'm so grateful for that. You are saving my life and I"ll never be able to repay you for that. I also have to say that I'd total understand if you wanted me gone. I mean it would be easier if I just left. You have your little sister to worry about and your friend, Blake, pretty much hates me and doesn't want me here. So if you need me to go I will."

Rachel stood completely speechless and staring at the football player. She was honestly surprised that Dave had apologized for his past actions or was ready to leave if she asked. She knew that her instincts had been correct Dave because he was already growing as a person. Maybe getting away from his father was a great thing. He could be himself and not worry about hiding. Rachel vowed right then and there to help Dave accept himself fully and grow into the man she knew he could be.

"Dave, you're already forgiven but I won't forget it. I don't trust you right now that's something that you're going to have to work for. I'm also not going to stand for the bullying and harassment anymore, especially not with you living in my house. So if you can't handle being at least civil with me in school than maybe you should leave. I want you here but you have to change your ways and besides you're another free babysitter in mine eyes." Rachel replied with a smile at the end.

"That won't be a problem since I'm not playing football this year. Even I have to admit that those guys along with the hockey team breed hatred. It was like they took the fact that they sucked and couldn't win a game to save their life out on the school. I honestly hated bullying people but I was also afraid to stand up to those guys. I know the basketball guys don't get in on the bullying and the coach will kick anyone who is caught bullying off the team so I'm going to be trying out for the team this year. I've always enjoyed basketball more than football anyway. And I know it's a only been like a day but you should know that I will defend you and have all your backs. You, all of you, even umm…Blake, are all I have right now. So I'm going to be there for you guys." Dave stated firmly and with conviction.

Rachel smiled brighter once the boy finished his little speech. This definitely wasn't the David Karofsky she had come to know. This boy was quiet and almost shy like but . Rachel let Dave see her smile and nodded at the boy.

"I wanna believe you Dave but let's just say actions speak louder then words. Meet in the kitchen so I can give you the list of things we'll need and cash. Don't be afraid to get something for yourself also. Get something to make this room more yours and new clothes if you need it. I'm…no we're all here for you." Rachel said as she turned to leave out of the room before stopping and saying,

"Oh and an good icebreaker with Blake is basketball she loves it and is actually really fucking good like seriously. Just talk to her, she knows about our history and is extremely protective of me. Give her time she doesn't like change and she still sees you as a threat. Once she sees you're harmless she'll come around. She's an amazing friend to have trust me."

Dave nodded and stored the information away for later. He was thrilled to have another ball player around but he'd be lying if he said the curly haired girl with blazing green eyes didn't scare him. She looked like she could kick some serious ass and Dave had no intentions on that ass being his.

Santana couldn't deny that she loved just being in Blake's presence but this wasn't her Blake. O.k. Blake wasn't hers yet, but she was Santana Fucking Lopez and she always got what she wanted and she wanted Blake plan and simple. She just had to wait and be patient. Slow and steady wins the race or whatever.

Santana stayed by Blake's side refusing to leave the girl alone to wallow in her thoughts and mope. She figured the girl would eventually want to talk and she'd be there. Santana was honestly surprising herself with the amount of patience she had with the stubborn girl but she really was starting to like Blake a lot and just wanted her funny, sarcastic, dorky fool back. Santana had never been in Blake's room before Friday and she was surprised by what she found inside.

Blake's room is painted black and had random neon colors spluttered around the room. Only when the lights were out and the neon lights on could you see the quotes and lyrics hidden in the black paint. Only one wall wasn't painted like the others and it was solid white. That wall held a few posters and a signed, framed number 24 Kobe Bryant Lakers' Jersey that Rachel had somehow gotten Blake for her 14th birthday, and a few skateboards. Her bed was up against her covered windows. It was a floating king size pillow top that was covered with neon green Egyptian cotton sheets and a black fluffy comforter with different colored splotches on it. There was also a bookcase full of books and a desk full of art supplies.

Blake was sitting at her desk sketching and Santana on the bed reading one of the many books that Blake had. She had started reading a book called Dark Prince it was part of a book series that Blake really enjoyed it was supernatural so Santana gave it a shot. This is what they did together all day yesterday and it was actually comfortable for both of them.

Neither of the girls were good at discussing feelings so just having another person there spoke more then words could. Blake was happy to have Santana with her. She just wanted things to go back to normal. Blake didn't want to admit that she was scared and that her protective instincts were in overdrive.

It was no secret that Blake hated not being there for Rachel during all the bullying. When they were younger she had vowed to always look out for Rachel and protect her and she had failed. It didn't matter that she was thousands of miles away and had no way of actually being their for her best friend. In her eyes she had broken her promise to Rachel and now that she was here in person she was determined to make up for not being there. She also knew better than anyone what happens in some foster homes and how the system works.

Blake couldn't take any chances that Beth would be taken from them. Dave was a risk and if she had to choose between him being homeless and keeping Rachel and Beth safe well she'd pack his shit for him. Why couldn't Rachel see that she was doing what she had to do to protect her family? Yeah she knows she shouldn't have been as stubborn when talking to Rachel last night but Rachel wasn't listening either. Blake also could admit that she shouldn't have said something of things that she had said. She knows Rachel can make her own decisions but Blake wanted to help as much as she could.

Blake was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on her door and Brittany popping her head in.

"So we need to get downstairs and talk about the plan before the nanny hopefuls show up." Brittany stated before leaving and heading back downstairs with Blake and Santana following right behind her.

The three girls headed downstairs and towards the kitchen. As they reached the bottom of the steps they noticed Dave walking out of the front door. They walked into the kitchen and joined Rachel at the table.

"Alright I'm calling a Rule 14 Turtle. I can't stand the silence so you have to sticky note it at least until Monday so we can enjoy our last free weekend with these two before school starts." Rachel stated as soon as everyone sat down.

"Umm what's rule 14?" Brittany asked.

"Oh umm well I guess you guys are part of the inner circle now, so have you guys ever seen How I Met Your Mother." Rachel asked. Brittany and Santana both shook their heads no.

"O.k. well two of the characters have this thing were if they are arguing they can table the argument and everything has to go back to normal and then it would be brought up later that's pretty much Rule 14" Rachel finished explaining. Blake grumbled and nodded in agreement. Blake took a deep breath before speaking

"Alright Rule 14 but that also means you can't question me or make me play nice with him." Rachel nodded her head knowing that it was the best she was going to get for now. She also knew that Blake was close to talking things out because she agreed to the rule rather quickly.

"O.k. so we start interviewing potential nannies today. Everyone remember the story we have in place?" Rachel asked.

"Beth is your adopted little sister and your parents are out of town on business and school is starting soon and a nanny is easier then daycare." Brittany answered with the other two girls nodding along.

"He or she is only needed during school hours until 3:30 when Blake comes home from school while we're at Glee and doing Cheerios." Santana continued where Brittany left off.

"Right." Rachel nodded in agreement. It wasn't a great story but it was the one that led to the least amount of questions. Anything else sounded to unbelievable.

"Are you guys sure this Noah guy won't be an issue once word gets out we have Beth?" Blake asked. It was something that she and Rachel had been worried about. Noah is Beth's biological father and had rights to her and could take her away if he wanted. It had been about three weeks since Beth had come to live with them and they already loved the little girl like she was thei own.

"Trust me Puck won't be a problem. He acted like he wanted to be there during the pregnancy but once the baby got here and he realized he'd be expected to actually help out and not get laid he bounced. Puck is Puck and the boy is a manwhore. And you know what they say "You can't turn a hoe into a housewife or husband in his case. He stopped coming around or spending time with Beth. He sent Quinn money like twice maybe. He won't be an issue." Santana answered easily.

It was one of the things that had really bothered Brittany and Santana about Noah Puckerman. They like everyone else thought that he was growing up and was ready to take responsibility for his actions but he wasn't. Puck gave Quinn hope that she'd have someone there all the time and when things got hard he quit. Once he realized that babies took a lot of work and that Quinn wasn't going to be sleeping with him, he left. He left in one of the worst ways possible in their eyes. Puck told Quinn that he was going to go to the store to get the things they needed for Beth and just never came back. He stopped answering phone calls or text messages from Quinn and refused to open the door when she would go to his house. They all knew that the boy was still around because they would get invites to his infamous Puckerman blowouts on facebook.

"Once Blake is 18 we can take Beth and the letter to the authorities and tell the story about her mother leaving her with. The story is that it took a couple of days for us to realize that she really wasn't coming back and that we are willing to keep Beth. We have a home, Blake and I will spend next week while you guys are at Cheerios looking for part-time jobs because having one could help, and shows we are being responsible. We all have to stay on the straight and narrow no getting in trouble at school or with the police. If they find one little thing they could not agree and we'll lose her. It's a long shot but it's all we got." Rachel stated.

"We'll have to do it on a weekday so we can try and get in front of judge as quickly as possible. The quicker we can get them to proceed then the faster we'll have her back. They will take her into custody but if we can get in front of a judge the next day or so then that'll minimize the time she's away from us." Blake added.

"And If Noah doesn't want the responsibility like you two said then when they contact him; he should just sign over his rights. The judge will see Quinn's letter as her signing over rights because it is written and signed by and vague enough that they won't ask to many questions. Once we tell the judge that her parents kicked her out and disowned her that'll take care of them. Hopefully you two being Quinn's friends and Beth already knowing you will show the judge that Beth is already with people she knows. Plus the whole she's been with us for a couple of day's thing. And I know you don't like it but it'll help that Dave is 18 also and managed to live on his own before coming here. If they go for all that then we'll get temporary custody and the home visits start." Rachel picked up where Blake left off.

Blake grumbled under her breath because she knew that Rachel was right. It didn't hurt to have someone of age living in the house. It would help their cause tremendously, especially if Dave got a job and stayed out of trouble also.

"I know that means we'll have to tell him eventually but let him earn our trust first and show us that he's trustworthy. I talked to him today and he's serious about changing and not being that asshole we know. I think he should have a chance." Rachel added. Blake didn't comment just shrugged her shoulders she still didn't like the idea of him being there.

"The homes visits should be easy seeing as we've already baby proofed the entire house including toilets and doors. We have all the things that a baby needs and they are all top quality. I want to get an alarm on the front door, back door, and sliding glass door, some educational things, a few more toys, and another car seat for the Prius, so they know that we are integrating her into our lives." Rachel continued on.

"They need to see that we are serious about keeping her. They won't take us seriously at first because we're teenagers but when they see how much we've done for her then it'll give them pause and make them think. The may priority of the courts is to make sure that the child is safe, cared for, and protected. We have to prove to them that we are capable of providing all of that." Blake stated getting a nod from Rachel.

Both Santana and Brittany nodded as the two friends went over everything. Both cheerleaders couldn't help but wonder how Rachel and Blake knew so much about this but figured it was a question for another time. It seemed almost as though one of the girls were in foster care at some point in time but that couldn't be right they both had parents. They knew that Cassie was Blake birth mom and Rachel has always been with her dads. They would save this conversation for when the other two girls were ready to confide in them.

"We should also get a giant schedule board set up so that they can see we have a schedule set in place and that we are serious about this. Having a schedule board up will show that we have each day planned and always aware of where Beth is and who will be with her." Brittany piped in.

"That's a great idea Britt." Rachel replied getting a shy smile in return.

"Umm… You guys do realize that we'll have to tell the nanny at some point also right?" Santana asked.,

"I mean they're going to want to know what we'll do about school and none of us are dropping out. I mean yea B could say she graduates at the end of the semester but we'll still need a plan and having the nanny already here could help out. Like you said we want them to see we are taking this serious."

The other girls hadn't thought of that and knew that it was something else to add to the list of things to worry about. It was a lot to handle and things could go terribly wrong but Beth was worth the trouble. That little girl deserved the absolute best and they wanted to provide that for her. She's lost so many people in her life already and they weren't going to let their names be added to the list. They had to do this for her.

"We'll just cross that bridge when it gets here. Right now we have to actually hire a nanny and make sure we can trust and count on them to do what's best for Beth." Rachel replied. All the other girls nodded along in agreement.

The girls knew this plan was completely insane and a long shot. They knew that there was a real chance that they could still lose Beth but it was the best they could come up with. They wanted to make sure everything was done right so that once they were granted custody; Beth couldn't be taken from them. It was also decided that if needed then they would call Blake's mom for help she had connections everywhere and could get results quickly. But that was a fail-safe they didn't want to even think about that option. Explaining things would be bad because Cassie July had a way of sensing a lie quickly. It was like a mother's super power or something and extremely scary. She'd also flip her shit and murder Rachel and Blake.

It was just after 2 p.m. now and the girls were already starting to get tired and hungry. They had interviewed four potential nannies already and it only seemed to get worse as each one came in to be interviewed. The first one was a guy who looked like the guy from Candyman and talked in a really scary voice. He also kept eyeing Brittany and Santana; the two cheerleaders had to place a hand on each girl's thigh to keep them seated. The next person was an elderly woman who was extremely sweet but then she fell asleep not even fifteen minutes into the interview. Like no joke Rachel was asking a question and the answer was a snore coming for the lady.

The third person was a middle aged woman who looked like she was casing the place the whole time. She kept asking questions about their security system and keep asking to take a tour of the house. It was decided quickly that they needed to keep the front gate closed and alarm always set from now own just in case. The fourth potential nanny didn't even make it into the house. The four teens found her out in the front yard shouting a prayer for the house and the grass before she started reading scriptures from her bible at the house. The girls didn't even bother opening the door for that one.

They were waiting on the fifth and final potential nanny to show up and were all praying that whoever it was… was well sane and normal. If they couldn't get a nanny then their whole plan wouldn't work. They wanted the nanny to be able to start in a weeks' time. They wanted to be able to spend time with nanny and have he or she spend time Beth so that everyone could get to know one another and be comfortable with the arrangement.

The final interviewee was already ten minutes late and they girls were starting to lose hope on finding a nanny today. They were all brought out of their thoughts by the sound of the front door opening and closing. They all knew it was Dave coming back and waited for him to appear. It didn't take Dave long to walk into the kitchen with the groceries that were needed for the grilling. 30 seconds after Dave walked in a middle-aged blonde woman came sliding into the kitchen, literally sliding into the kitchen,

"What up party people?" She asked. The four girls and Dave all shared a look. They honestly didn't know how to respond to this lady. To be honest she already seemed a little crazy but they needed to really be sure before they dismissed her.

"I'm Holly Holiday and I want to be your nanny." the nanny spoke up with a huge smile on her face.

Holly Holiday had a little trouble finding the house seeing as it was further away from the other houses on the block which was way she was late. She tried to leave her home earlier to make it on top and now wished she had used google maps to find the house first. When she pulled up into the driveway she noticed a young man unloading bags and offered her help which was declined and asked about the family. All the boy would tell her is that it's him and four other teen girls and one of the teen's new little sister. Holly was instantly concerned but wanted to get a vibe for things before she sounded any alarms.

"Hi I'm Rachel Berry and these lovely ladies are Brittany Pierce, Santana Lopez, and Blake July. The big guy lugging in stuff is Dave Karofsky." Rachel introduced as she pointed everyone out. Each person waving as their name was said.

"So you all live here?" Holly asked

"Nope just Rachel...Dave, and I." Blake answered hesitantly she wasn't agreeing or anything just stating facts.

"These two are just here a lot. They met us and got attached kinda like a puppy ya know." Blake joked while pointing her thumb in Santana and Brittany's direction.

Santana flipped her off discreetly and Brittany stuck her tongue in response. Santana couldn't help but think if only Blake knew how true that statement was. Both her and Brittany were attached to the two girls and had no plan on ever letting them go.

Holly could sense there was more there but didn't ask. It wasn't her place she was here to be a nanny and take care of a child.

"So you guys are looking for a nanny for…" Holly started but trailed off so that the girls could fill her in on everything.

"We're looking for a nanny for my umm… little sister. We would only need you during the day while we are in school. My dads' got called away on business and wanted me and Blake to find a nanny; they don't trust the daycares around here." Rachel quickly answered the other three girls nodding along in agreement with story.

"How old is the baby, umm your little sister?" Holly asked after giving the girls a smile and nod letting them know she understood. Holly sensed something was off about what she was being told but didn't say anything.

"She's 4 months old now." Santana answered. Holly wasn't expecting the baby to be that young.

"That's really young." She replied simply.

"Yeah it is but she's our little sister and we'd do anything for her. She doesn't have anyone else but us right now so we'll do what we gotta to make sure she's safe and healthy and all that." Blake replied back simply while the other girls nodding along. Holly could see that these girls meant business and would do anything for this little girl that she hasn't even met yet.

"So those are all the questions I have so far I think. Here's my resume, I'm 46 and you'll see that I'm more then qualified to watch your sister. I have been in the nanny game since I was 18 and I love it. I'll work as long as you need me to and will be available for whenever you need me. My only request is that I have Saturday nights and Sundays off. I am first-aid certified and can even clean. I can make a mean bowl of cereal but I'm not much of a cook. You can call and check with all of my references, I have some letters from some of them, and I know they'll check out. Now do you have any questions for me?" said Holly as she pulled her resume out and handed it to Rachel.

The girls hadn't expected Holly take this serious. After her introduction into the room they thought she'd be a joke but her resume and references seemed legit. Holly was indeed first-aid certified and could hold a state job working with kids if she wanted to. She had tons of credentials and some of the reference letters she had raved her work and how she was with kids.

"We would need you to be here no later than 7:30 am and stay until 3:30 maybe later would that be an issue?" Brittany asked.

"I figured after you mentioned you guys were in school that I'd be here early and like I said I'm available whenever." Holly replied with ease. The four girls all shared a look and nodded.

"O.k. so you are literally the last and best applicant we've had all day. Can you start this Monday coming up but the next? We just want to get to know you and for Beth to be comfortable with you before we start school." Rachel explained. Holly Holiday smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you not this Monday but the next one then. I can't wait to meet this Beth she seems to have all of you wrapped around her little fingers. I'd like to also discuss payment plans then as well." She said as she stood from the table to shake each girl's hands before she left. She made sure that each girl plus Dave had her cell phone number in case they needed her before she actually started work.

The girls all laughed because that was an understatement. Beth had in such a short time climbed into their hearts and was there to stay. She brought so much happiness and joy into their lives. They all stood and walked Holly to the door and said goodbye.

The four girls waited until Holly was in her car and they were back inside of the house before they all cheered and did happy dances. They had started to give up hope but now things were looking up. This was the start of their plan and things were going great. The girls now needed to get things ready to grill and spend time with each other.

After they all calmed down they made their way back to the kitchen to prep the food and grill. Well Blake and Santana prepped while Rachel and Brittany sat at the bar. Dave could be heard playing Call of Duty in the living room. Rachel remembered that the pool needed to be cleaned and decided she would do it. She dismissed herself to go upstairs and change.

"Hey Legs, can you go ask Buzz where the baking sheets are? I need them to carry the food outsite." Blake asked after a few minutes. Brittany nodded and headed upstairs to Rachel's room.

Brittany made her way up the stairs. The door to Rachel's room was cracked open a little so Brittany went to push it open and froze dead in her tracks. Rachel was standing next to her dresser and the brunette singer was completely naked. Brittany knew that Rachel had a nice body hidden under those sweaters but this was so much better than anything she could have imagined.

She trailed her eyes down the girls toned back to an equally as toned butt and downward to Rachel's long legs, which should be illegal for someone of Rachel's stature to have. Brittany knew she shouldn't be looking but she couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful tanned girl in front of her. She was silently praying and hoping that Rachel would turn so she could get a look at the front when Rachel did just that. Rachel had turned her body just enough so Brittany could see the side of her small but perky breast. Brittany's eyes continued to travel down when she caught sight of something that shouldn't have been there.

Brittany let out a gasp once she realized what it was. Rachel turned at the sound of the gasp but Brittany had already ducked back into the hallway and was heading back downstairs. Rachel shrugged and went back to getting dressed.

Brittany was slowly making her way back to the kitchen. Her brain kept chanting the same thing. Rachel has a penis. The girl she was falling madly in love with has a dick. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself. She couldn't help but wonder how the hell Rachel hid it in those short skirts she wears. I mean seriously from what she saw Mini Rae wasn't so mini.

Brittany was brought out of her thoughts by Blake calling her name.

"Yo Legs, you alright over there?" Blake asked. She had been calling Brittany's name for almost a minute now and hadn't gotten a response.

"Umm yea… yes… yes… I'm good… It's all good in this hood yeah," Brittany rambled out causing Blake to bust out laughing.

"Wow ghetto Barbie in the house. Did you ask Rachel about the baking sheets?" Blake asked once she calmed down.

"Uh I didn't get a chance to ask…" Brittany started to say but was cut off by Rachel walking back into the kitchen dressed in a tight green v neck tank top, black board shorts, and flip flops.

"Ask who what?" Rachel asked. Brittany looked Rachel up and down and then her eyes landed on Rachel's crotch. Brittany instantly flushed red, sputtered out something incoherent, and quickly made her way upstairs to her room. Blake and Rachel didn't think anything of the strange reaction but Santana knew something was up.

"Ask you about the baking sheets and I'll be back. I need to ask Britts something." Santana answered before following her best friend upstairs. Blake and Rachel shared a look before shrugging their shoulders and looking for the missing baking sheets.

Brittany quickly ran into her room and closed the door. She couldn't stop thinking about Rachel and her penis. What did this mean? How is it possible? Did she tell Rachel she knew or not? Did Brittany feel any different toward Rachel now that she knew? Does Blake know? Who else knows? Why hadn't she said something before? Was Rachel even planning on telling her?.

Brittany had so many questions but realized she'd have to wait for answers. She'd have to wait until Rachel was ready to tell her. She also realized that she was in no way disgusted by what she saw only curious. She knew that her feelings for Rachel were still the same. In her eyes Rachel was still the sweet, laid=back, talented, caring girl she's always known, Now Brittany knew what was hiding in the tiny singer's underwear.

Brittany was brought out of her thoughts of Rachel's dick by a knock on her door.

"Come in!" Brittany called out and watched as Santana entered the room.

"Hey B you ok?" Santana asked as she walked over and sat next to Brittany on the bed.

"Yeah S, I'm alright." Brittany replied as casually as she could. To be honest she really was o.k. just a shocked at what she'd just discovered.

"Alright spill B, we've been best friends forever so I know when you're be lying, So don't try it again." Santana countered back. Brittany took a deep breath before turning to her best friend. She should have known that she couldn't hide anything from Santana.

"Santana let's just something has been brought to my attention and I would tell you if I could but it's not my thing to tell. So I'm begging you to let it go and if one I can tell you than I will tell you but only if I'm allowed to." Brittany replied back. Santana simply nodded and sat back more on the bed.

"I really like Blake, Britt." Santana stated after a few moments. Brittany let out a little laugh.

"I know you do S. I'm sure Stevie Wonder could see how much you like her." Brittany replied.

"OMG Do you think Blake knows? Oh god she probably thinks I'm so lame and fuck Britts what am I going to do." Santana nervously rambled out. Brittany grabbed her best friends face making her stop before she started overthinking things.

"Listen Rachel and Blake seem similar in the sense that they have no idea people actually find them attractive. It's really sad that they can be so oblivious to this because Rachel is just so," Brittany commented her eye glazing over from her thoughts of Rachel.

"Look Britts I love you and I'm all team Brittberry or whatever and if you wanna run off and have pint-size dancing singing half Jewish babies more power to you but please save me the details." Santana stated through laughter.

Brittany chuckled because Santana had no idea how true that statement was. Now Brittany couldn't help but think about what her and Rachel's babies would look like. Would they be tiny like Rachel or tall like her? Would they have blonde hair like her and chocolate brown eyes like Rachel? She couldn't help the goofy smile that came across her face from thinking of a Mini Rachel with Brunette hair, olive skin tone, and blue eyes running around. Brittany's thoughts were interrupted by Santana once again.

"Eww you're totally imagining it huh. Well even I'd have to admit that you and Rachel would have good looking kids. Not as hot as mine and Blake's b..," Santana started to say but realized what was about to let slip out of her mouth. She slapped her hands over her mouth quickly and stared at be Brittany with wide eyes.

"Wow you got it bad," Brittany stated with a giggle. Now Santana would know what she's been going through these past few years with Rachel. Brittany also felt bad for her friend and really hoped she wouldn't have to wait as long as Brittany waited to tell Rachel.

"What are you going to do about it San?" Brittany asked. Brittany knew that Santana would have to be the one to initiate things and she was worried that her best friend would be hurt. She was beginning to care about Blake but would kick the other girl's ass if she hurt Santana in any way.

"I have no fucking clue B. I can't just tell her I like her like you did with Rachel. You and Rachel have known each other for years and already had a connection. Rachel may not realize it but she always seems to just gravitate to you. It's kind of sickening to watch to be honest." Santana answered before flopping back on the bed. That was the hardest part for Santana because Santana Lopez always had a plan. But with Blake she was flying blind. It scared her to no end how much she actually liked the curly haired girl but she didn't want it to stop.

Blake and Rachel had finally located the baking sheets, loaded the food onto them, and were getting ready to carry them outside when Beth had started crying through the baby monitor. Rachel handed the pan of food to Blake before making her way upstairs. It wasn't a surprise to her that Beth had sleep longer than she usually would have during the day. They little girl had fought going down for her night which meant she had been up longer than usual. Rachel quickly made her way upstairs to change and feed the little girl.

"Hey Mini B, are you ready to get up and spend the day outside with us. Yes you are. Come on princess let's get you ready." Rachel cooed at the little girl as she tickled her tummy. Beth garbled and giggled back in response. She could sense that Rachel was in a better mood which put her in a better mood.

Blake laughed before continuing to carry the food outside to the grill to be cooked. She always found it funny that each one of them would run to Beth before anyone else could to her. They all wanted to be the one to shower the baby girl with love and affection. Which is always why they wanted to just have a nice relaxing day by the pool as a little family before the outside world came knocking. It was just an added bonus that Blake loved using the grill and the other girls loved eating whatever it was that Blake had made for them.

Blake had just finished putting the regular burgers and veggie burgers on the grill when the back door slid open. Blake looked over her shoulder and noticed Dave walking towards her. She scowled a little but remembered that she was under Rule 14 so she couldn't drown him in the pool. Even though she couldn't out right be mean to him she didn't want to talk to him either. Blake's thoughts and plans of ignoring the other teenage were interrupted by the sound of Dave's throat clearing. She took a deep breath before turning to face him.

**A/N: The next chapter continues exactly where this one left off. I didn't attend for it be seem like a cliff hanger it's just the chapter was becoming super long and this was the best place to stop. **


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